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CAIRO  TO  THE 
CATARACT 


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BLANCHE  M.CARSON 


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FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE 
CATARACT 


CAIRO 

TO  THE 

CATARACT 


BLANCHE  MABUKP 
CARS  OK 


Illustrated 


uq 


Q 


BOSTON 

L.CPAGE  ©CO. 

MDCCCCIX 


Copyright,  1909 
BY  L.  C.  PAGE  &  COMPANY 

(INCORPORATED) 


All  rights  reserved 


First  Impression,  March,  1909 


Blectrotyped  and  Printed  at 

THE    COLONIAL    PRESS: 

C.H.Simonds  £&  Co., Boston,  U.S. A. 


To 


The  loving  recipient  and  patient  reader  of 

many  long  letters,  this  volume 

is  affectionately 

dedicated 


2205102 


3Q'       East   Lortgifudt    3*' 


PREFACE 

• — 

FOE  the  facts  of  Egyptian  history  the  au- 
thor is  indebted  to  the  following : 

Dr.  James  Henry  Breasted,  Prof.  M.  G. 
Maspero,  Dr.  Flinders  Petrie,  Dr.  Wallis 
Budge,  Prof.  Sayce,  Mr.  Carl  Baedeker,  Mr. 
Stanley  Lane  Poole,  Messrs.  J.  E.  and  A.  H. 
Quibel,  Messrs.  L.  W.  King  and  H.  R.  Hall; 
to  Mrs.  Elizabeth  W.  Latimer  and  Miss  E. 
Chennelle,  Mr.  Jeremiah  Lynch,  Mr.  Henry 

C.  Greene,  Mr.  Arthur  E.  Weigall;    to  M. 
Legrain,  M.  De  Morgan  and  M.  Amelineau, 
and  to  all  who  have  in  any  way  aided  in  the 
unearthing  of  early  Egyptian  history. 

The  majority  of  the  photographs  for  illus- 
tration are  supplied  by  the  kindness  of  Mr. 
W.  A.  Setchell,  Mr.  W.  Potter,  Mrs.  Charles 

D.  Blaney,  and  by  Mr.  Isaac  Morse. 

The  author  also  wishes  to  express  her  ap- 
preciation of  the  helpful  criticism  and  en- 
couragement of  her  sister  Eugenia,  at  whose 
suggestion  these  letters  were  prepared  for 
publication. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

EGYPT Frontispiece 

MAP  OF  EGYPT .vii 

PORT  SAID 20 

A  HAREM  OUT  FOR  A  RIDE 35 

THE  BOULEVARD  BEFORE  THE  HOTEL  CONTINENTAL,  WITH 

THE  ESBEKIYEH  GARDENS  OPPOSITE    ....  38 

THE  GREAT  NILE  BRIDGE 41 

THE  BEDOUINS  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS 50 

THE  GREAT  PYRAMID 54 

THE  SPHINX  AND  THE  GREAT  PYRAMID      ....  62 
DOORWAY    OF    UNIVERSITY  MOSQUE  —  COURT  OF  UNI- 
VERSITY MOSQUE 76 

BRIDAL  PROCESSION  NEAR  CAIRO,  BRIDE  BEING  IN  THE 

COVERED  Box 82 

FOUNTAIN  IN  THE  COURTYARD  OF  A  MOSQUE  —  A  TOMB 

MOSQUE 90 

TOMBS  OF  THE  KALIFAHS 97 

THE   CITADEL   AND   THE   MOSQUE   OF   MOHAMMED   ALI, 

FROM  THE  MOKATTAM  CLIFFS 99 

THE  ALABASTER  MOSQUE  OF  MOHAMMED  ALI   .       .    •  .  101 

BEDRECHEN,  THE  LANDING  STATION  FOR  SAKKARAH       .  105 

FALLEN  COLOSSI  OF  RAMSES  THE  GREAT   ....  109 
THE  STEP  PYRAMID,  MAUSOLEUM  OF  KING  ZOSER  .       .112 

MARIETTE'S  HOUSE,  SAKKARAH 117 

READY  FOR  THE  RACE  HOME 120 

VISTA  OF  PALMS  ON  THE  WEST  BANK  OF  THE  NILE        .  124 

BENI  HASSAN 130 

A  VENDER  OF  COPTIC  VEILS 137 

A  SERIES  OF  SHADUFS                                                       .  139 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

A  SAKKIYEH 140 

SAIL-BOATS  ON  THE  NILE  —  MARKET-BOAT  ON  THE  NILE  .  142 

MOUNTED  POLICEMAN,  UPPER  EGYPT 147 

APPROACH  TO  THE  TEMPLE  OF  KARNAK  —  THE  RUINS  OF 

KARNAK 161 

COLUMNS  OF  THE  HYPOSTYLE  HALL,  KARNAK  .  .  .  163 

VIEW  FROM  THE  PYLON  OF  THE  TEMPLE  OF  KARNAK  .  165 

HOUSE  OF  M.  LEGRAIN 170 

COURT  OF  THE  TEMPLE  OF  LUXOR 176 

HEAD  OF  RAMSES  AT  LUXOR  .  .  -  .  .  .  .  178 
VALLEY  OF  THE  TOMBS  OF  THE  KINGS,  SHOWING  ENTRANCE 

TO  THE  TOMB  OF  AMENHOTEP  II 184 

FUNERARY  TEMPLE  OF  QUEEN  HATSHEPSUT  .  .  .  188 

COLOSSI  OF  MEMNON 193 

TEMPLE  OF  HORUS  AT  EDFU 198 

GORGE  OF  SILSILEH  —  TEMPLE  OF  KOM  OMBO  .  .  200 
ASSUAN  FROM  THE  ISLAND  OF  ELEPHANTINE  —  THE 

ISLAND  OF  ELEPHANTINE,  OPPOSITE  ASSUAN  .  .  202 

A  GROUP  OF  BISHARIN 206 

A  BISHARIN  CAMP 210 

MAIN  BOULEVARD,  ASSUAN  —  NORTHERN  END  OF  THE 

ISLAND  OF  ELEPHANTINE  —  BEACH  ON  THE  ISLAND 

OF  ELEPHANTINE 212 

THE  ISLAND  OF  PHIL^E 216 

THE  KIOSQUE  OR  "  PHARAOH'S  BED  "  ....  218 
THE  CATARACT  ABOVE  ASSUAN  —  BOATS  ENTERING  THE 

LOCKS  NEAR  THE  DAM  ABOVE  ASSUAN  .  .  .  222 

TAKING  SOUNDINGS  IN  THE  NILE 229 

HOTEL  GARDEN  AT  LUXOR 231 

ON  THE  ROAD  FROM  BALIANA  TO  ABYDOS  .  .  .  234 

A  DAHABIYEH  ,  .  .  252 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE 
CATARACT 


"  S.  S.  Finland/'  Trans-Atlantic  Red  Star 
Line.  New  York,  November  12th,  1907. 

A  STUPENDOUS  roar  from  the  whistle! 

The  heavy  throbbing  of  the  throttle  shook 
the  ship  from  stem  to  stern.  Then  came  the 
gongs!  The  deafening  din  dulling  the  ears 
and  drowning  the  voices.  Up  one  side,  and 
down  the  other,  through  salon  and  smoking 
room,  upper  deck,  hurricane  and  steerage, 
went  the  stewards  beating  their  devil's  tattoo 
on  the  big  brass  pans,  the  resounding  clan- 
gour warning  visitors  off  the  ship. 

The  leave-taking  began  all  over  again! 
Hurried  handshakes,  frantic  embraces,  quick 
kisses  and  repeated  messages  whispered  in 
husky  voices  with  sudden  blinding  of  tears. 

"Non-passengers  ashore!"  shouted  the 
First  Officer.  With  final  pressure  of  hand, 
last  caress  and  promise  of  frequent  posts,  the 

i 


2          FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

devoted  fathers  and  fiances,  overstaying  their 
extra  minute's  grace,  made  a  rush  and  a  jump 
for  the  gangplank  —  one  end  already  in  mid- 
air. 

The  passengers  lined  the  rails,  the  specta- 
tors pressed  to  the  pier's  edge,  shouting  last 
words  and  commissions  across  the  increasing 
chasm  as  long  as  their  voices  carried.  The 
dock  hands  hauled  away  the  planks  and  let  go 
the  forward  cable.  Wider  and  wider  grew  the 
wedge  of  blue  below  between  ship  and  wharf 
as  the  boat's  bow  swung  out  to  mid-stream. 

"  Cast  off  everything! "  called  the  Captain, 
and  with  the  dropping  of  the  hawser  aft,  the 
great  leviathan  floated  free  at  last.  The  band 
burst  forth  with  a  lively  air,  the  hundreds  of 
friends  assembled  on  shore  waved  farewell 
and  wished  Godspeed  to  the  staunch  ship  and 
its  human  freight.  B.  and  I  waved  answer, 
although  we  knew  not  a  soul  in  that  vast  mul- 
titude. 

:<  We're  off!  Hurrah,  for  Egypt  and  In- 
dia! "  B.  gleefully  exclaimed,  while  a  wave 
of  conflicting  emotions  swept  over  us  —  ex- 
ultant expectation  mingled  with  pathos  of 
parting,  joyful  anticipation  joined  with  vague 
apprehension  of  possible  hazard  on  the  long, 
long  voyage  over  three  oceans,  Atlantic,  In- 
dian and  Pacific,  before  we  make  home  port 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT          3 

on  the  far  side  of  the  continent,  the  California 
coast. 

As  the  pier  faded  to  a  speck,  we  turned  for 
a  brisk  promenade  down  the  deck,  and  now 
are  dashing  off  these  dozen  lines  to  be  mailed 
by  the  harbour  pilot,  who  is  taking  us  out  to 
sea,  when  he  goes  ashore  an  hour  hence  in  the  , 
sailboat  waiting  off  Sandy  Hook. 


November  16th,  Mid- Atlantic, 
1800  miles  from  New  York. 

OUR  ship  has  just  been  exchanging  Mar- 
conigrams  with  six  other  vessels  all  within  a 
radius  of  two  hundred  miles!  We  have 
learned  their  names,  latitude  and  direction, 
and  do  not  feel  ourselves  so  isolated  to-night 
as  we  had  supposed.  The  Professor  of  our 
party  —  more  of  him  anon  —  has  likewise  sent 
a  message,  "  All  well,"  to  the  Agent  in  New 
York,  to  be  forwarded  to  our  various  homes. 
The  aerogram  is  to  any  passing  ship  which, 
when  within  hailing  distance,  will  transmit  it 
by  wireless  to  Sandy  Hook.  We  feel  very 
up-to-date,  I  assure  you. 

It  is  not  yet  two  weeks  since  we  left  Cali- 
fornia, yet  it  seems  ages.  The  transcontinen- 
tal trip  was  longer  and  more  tiresome  than 
ever.  The  one  interesting  incident  was  our 
meeting  a  party  of  three  Englishwomen, 
from  thirty  to  forty  years  of  age,  who  were 
on  their  way  home  from  a  tour  around  the 
world.  They  had  envied  the  "  conducted  " 
parties  they  met,  who  saw  all  the  important 

4 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT          5 

sights  and  travelled  in  the  most  comfortable 
way.  This  was  pleasant  news  to  us,  just 
booked  for  a  party  starting  on  the  grand  tour, 
of  which  the  trip  up  the  Nile  is  merely  the 
first  chapter.  Heretofore  when  in  Europe  B. 
and  I  have  always  gone  about  by  ourselves, 
and  have  looked  askance  at  the  "  Cookies," 
but  India  seemed  so  remote  and  so  barbaric 
we  thought  best  to  seek  the  protection  of  a 
"  personally  conducted  "  party. 

New  York  was  full  of  life  and  bustle,  and 
we  were  in  the  midst  of  it  at  the  Hotel  Knick- 
erbocker. The  morning  after  our  arrival  we 
met  our  Conductor,  Mr.  Richards  —  tall,  gray, 
smiling  and  capable.  He  informed  us  that 
the  "  Princess  Irene  "  of  the  Red  Star  Line 
had  met  with  an  accident  which  would  pre- 
vent her  sailing  on  schedule  time.  In  order 
not  to  miss  connection  with  our  Nile  steamer, 
he  had  taken  passage  for  us  on  the  "  Fin- 
land," a  boat  of  the  same  line,  running  to 
Antwerp.  Thence  we  will  proceed  by  rail 
via  Paris  to  Marseilles,  where  we  will  again 
take  ship  for  Egypt.  Such  sudden  change 
of  plan  nearly  took  our  breath  away;  when 
we  found,  however,  that  it  meant  no  delay, 
but  a  glimpse  of  Europe,  with  a  day  at  Paris 
thrown  in,  we  considered  ourselves  fortunate. 

Saturday,  November  12th,  we  were  up  at 


6          FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

seven,  and  by  nine  were  well  on  our  way  to 
the  boat  with  bags  and  trunks  piled  high  on 
the  carriage.  Mr.  Richards  was  awaiting  us 
and  at  once  conducted  us  to  our  cabin. 

We  then  met  the  three  other  members  of 
our  party.  Madam  Shinn,  aged  77,  widow 
of  a  former  prominent  member  of  the  New 
York  bar,  is  a  lady  of  fine  features  and  dis- 
tinguished manners.  Although  slightly  deaf 
and  unable  to  walk  far,  she  seems  equal  to  the 
exigencies  of  travel.  In  her  fur  hood  and 
long  black  cloak  she  looks  like  an  Eskimo, 
while  her  delicate  pink  and  white  complexion 
is  as  fair  and  fresh  as  any  girl's.  This  is  her 
twenty-third  trip  across  the  water.  Miss 
Martha,  her  daughter,  middle-aged  and  prac- 
tical, is  devoted  to  her  mother. 

Lastly  there  is  the  Professor,  an  old  friend 
of  these  ladies  and  most  chivalrous  in  his  at- 
tention to  Madam  Shinn,  leading  her  about  as 
tenderly  as  a  child.  He  not  only  calls  her 
"  Honey  "  and  "  Dear  "  —  he  is  from  Texas 
—  but  "Sisters"  us,  and  "Brothers"  Rich- 
ards and  the  passengers  generally,  to  the  in- 
finite amusement  of  all.  Soon  after  we  were 
introduced,  the  Professor  said,  "  Now,  Rich- 
ards, you  take  care  of  the  young  ladies  and 
I'll  look  after  the  old  ones! " 

As  I  am  a  widow  of  forty  with  not  a  few 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT          7 

gray  hairs,  and  B.  has  twenty-five  summers 
to  her  credit,  we  smiled  at  the  joke.  We  are 
already  known  as  the  Professor's  party,  and 
the  deck-steward  has  labelled  all  our  chairs 
with  his  name. 

At  luncheon  the  first  day  out  a  small  side 
table  was  assigned  us,  over  which  the  Pro- 
fessor willingly  presided.  Pale,  slight,  of 
medium  height,  with  jet  black  hair  and  pier- 
cing eyes,  he  is  a  man  of  rare  intelligence  and 
charms  with  his  brilliant  conversation.  Every 
meal  is  a  feast;  wre  sit  long  after  the  other 
tables  are  cleared,  and  our  steward  has  now 
learned  to  be  patient.  The  Professor  has 
made  some  records  in  mountain  climbing,  and 
had  many  hairbreadth  escapes,  all  of  which 
he  relates  with  spirit.  He  has  brought  with 
him  a  small  library  of  twenty  or  thirty  vol- 
umes, and  threatens  to  write  up  the  trip  in 
the  form  of  a  novel  and  put  us  all  in.  Every 
good  joke  goes  down  at  once  in  his  note- 
book. 

Sunday  morning  the  Captain  invited  the 
Professor  to  conduct  service  in  the  salon. 
Miss  Martha,  for  years  the  soprano  of  her 
home  choir,  led  the  singing,  while  Mr.  Rich- 
ards officiated  at  the  piano,  playing  the  tunes 
by  ear.  In  the  congregation  were  seven 
young  women  from  the  second  cabin  going 


8         FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

out  as  missionaries  to  India.  That  afternoon 
the  Professor  prevailed  upon  two  of  them, 
who  had  been  in  the  work  several  years,  to 
tell  us  of  their  experiences  in  the  Orient. 

Their  mission  in  India  contains  about 
7,000  children,  mostly  those  who  had  come 
to  them  during  the  famine,  and  whose  parents 
had  died  from  starvation  rather  than  lose 
caste  by  eating  foreign  food. 

One  missionary  told  of  going  to  the  house 
of  a  Hindu  to  teach  English  to  a  girl  of 
fourteen.  During  the  lesson  an  old  man  of 
sixty  passed  through  the  room,  whereupon 
her  pupil  immediately  arose.  In  answer  to 
the  teacher's  query  as  to  who  he  was,  she 
replied,  "  My  husband."  When  asked  why 
she  was  so  anxious  to  learn  English,  she  con- 
fessed after  some  hesitancy,  "So  that  in  the 
next  life  I  may  be  born  an  American  woman." 

Although  the  list  of  passengers  is  small 
there  are  a  number  of  prominent  people 
aboard,  among  whom  is  a  member  of  the 
Swedish  Parliament,  and  his  daughter,  a  tal- 
ented singer. 

Another  interesting  fellow-traveller,  M. 
Fontaine,  of  Belgium,  has  written  a  book  on 
Arbitration,  which  gives  an  account  of  all  the 
arbitration  treaties  ever  made.  He  is  also 
musical  and  plays  Chopin  and  Brahms  for  us. 


Grand  Hotel,  Paris, 
November  24th. 

WE  have  just  breakfasted,  and  have  half 
an  hour  before  taking  the  train  for  Mar- 
seilles. It  has  been  delightful  to  get  this 
glimpse  of  Europe  and  not  to  pass  it  by  ut- 
terly. 

Early  Sunday  morning  as  we  reached  the 
English  Channel  a  gale  struck  us,  driving 
the  "  Finland "  toward  the  Dover  break- 
water. It  took  two  tugs  to  pull  her  off.  The 
ship  had  been  rolling  and  pitching  tremen- 
dously, but  we  had  accepted  it  all  as  legiti- 
mate Channel  weather  —  never  suspecting 
how  near  to  disaster  we  had  been. 

The  voyage  up  the  Scheldt  in  the  late 
afternoon  under  a  gray  brooding  sky  was 
most  beautiful.  The  yellow  water  stretching 
far  on  either  side  was  barred  from  the  low 
level  land  of  Holland  by  miles  of  massive 
dykes.  Here  and  there,  silhouetted  against 
the  sky,  were  clumsy  Dutch  windmills  reach- 
ing wide  arms  for  every  chance  breeze.  The 
even  growth  of  bordering  woods,  already  in 

9 


10       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

mid-November,  bereft  of  their  foliage,  re- 
peated the  low  shore  line.  There  was  a  sense 
of  breadth  and  wideness  in  the  landscape  that 
bespoke  a  spirit  of  peace  and  calm.  As  we 
neared  the  city  the  long  twilight  with  its 
Norse  mystery  gave  place  to  the  night.  By 
the  aid  of  the  harbour  signals  the  Captain 
felt  his  way  up  past  buoy  after  buoy  toward 
the  circle  of  lights  whose  glimmering  meant 
Antwerp.  The  band  played  a  joyous  air  as 
the  gang-plank  was  thrown  out,  and  we  once 
more  set  foot  on  terra  firma.  It  took  so  long 
to  get  our  eleven  trunks  together  that  it  was 
eight  o'clock  before  we  reached  the  hotel. 

Next  morning  when  we  visited  the  Cathe- 
dral the  exquisite  little  wooden  figures  of  the 
choir-stalls,  so  wonderfully  carved,  caused  us 
to  break  the  tenth  commandment;  after  nu- 
merous inquiries  we  found  the  studio  of  Herr 
Van  Windt,  Antwerp's  famous  carver,  but 
unfortunately  all  his  copies  had  been  sold,  and 
he  is  now  at  work  exclusively  upon  a  set  of 
forty-five  figures  in  stone  for  the  fa9ade  of 
the  Cathedral. 

The  five  o'clock  evening  express  brought 
us  into  Paris  at  ten  that  night.  The  long 
ride  from  the  Gare  du  Nord  to  the  Grand 
Hotel  through  the  brilliantly  lighted  streets 
of  the  French  capital  was  most  exhilarating. 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       11 

Our  one  day  in  Paris  lasted  until  long 
after  midnight,  and  was  spent  in  the  Louvre 
Gallery,  with  an  hour  only  for  shopping.  In 
the  evening  we  heard  the  opera  of  "  Sa- 
lammbo,"  its  gorgeous  Egyptian  mise  en 
scene  being  a  most  fitting  introduction  to  the 
land  of  the  Pharaohs,  whither  we  were  bound. 


The  Mediterranean  Sea. 
Friday,  November  25th. 

WE  took  the  train  de  luxe  from  Paris  early 
yesterday  morning  and  did  not  arrive  at 
Marseilles  until  midnight.  Our  party  filled 
one  small  first-class  compartment,  very  lux- 
urious for  Europe,  but  we  felt  rather 
crowded.  Madam  Shinn  dozed  most  of  the 
time,  while  the  rest  of  us  listened  to  the  Pro- 
fessor, who  talked  incessantly.  He  likes  to 
solve  every  mystery  on  the  spot.  He  told  us 
how  to  calculate  longitude  and  latitude,  how 
to  tell  the  speed  of  a  train  by  counting  the 
number  of  clicks  made  in  twenty  seconds  by 
the  cars  passing  over  the  ends  of  the  rails; 
all  such  mathematical  niceties  delight  him. 

Our  Conductor  had  contracted  a  cold. 
The  Professor  at  once  prescribed  for  him, 
telling  him  he  should  look  after  himself  — 
some  day  he  would  die  of  heart  failurl.  On 
the  "  Finland  "  when  slightly  indisposed,  the 
Professor  had  called  in  the  ship's  surgeon. 
But  when  the  doctor  found  that  his  patient 
had  already  taken  eleven  different  kinds  of 

12 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       13 

medicine,  he  refused  to  give  him  anything 
more.  The  Professor  now  further  cheered 
us  by  saying  he  was  very  delicate,  being  sub- 
ject to  fainting  spells. 

"  And  you,  Miss  Martha,"  he  added,  ad- 
dressing Miss  Shinn,  "  you  are  so  stout  you 
will  go  off  suddenly  some  day  of  apoplexy! " 

B.  and  I  looked  at  each  other  aghast! 
Was  this  the  kind  of  party  we  two  healthy 
women  had  joined  in  order  that  we  might 
have  some  one  to  care  for  us  in  case  of  sick- 
ness in  a  foreign  land?  It  did  not  lessen  our 
concern  to  have  Madam  Shinn  now  confide  to 
us  that  a  few  years  ago  she  had  broken  two 
ribs  on  her  left  side,  and  just  three  weeks 
before  sailing  had  fallen  down  stairs  and 
broken  three  more  on  the  other  side. 

But  to  return  to  Marseilles:  On  arrival  we 
found  there  had  been  a  slight  fall  of  snow 
and  it  was  very  cold  —  yet  this  was  southern 
France. 

This  morning  sixty  guests  from  the  hotel 
sailed  with  us  for  Egypt.  Two  specials  from 
Paris,  which  just  made  connections,  added 
their  quota  of  passengers. 

The  big  court  of  our  hotel  was  full  of 
bustle  and  stir.  By  eleven  o'clock  trunks  and 
steamer-chairs  —  the  latter  selected  with  care 
to  last  all  the  way  round  to  San  Francisco 


14       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

—  had  been  tossed  up  on  top  of  the  long 
buses.  Mme.  Shinn  had  sat  for  an  hour, 
hooded  and  cloaked,  awaiting  impatiently 
the  moment  of  departure.  Finally,  when  fif- 
teen of  us  had  been  tucked  snugly  inside,  the 
big  bus  started  for  the  docks,  three  quarters 
of  an  hour  distant. 

Our  boat,  a  P.  and  O.  Liner,  was  crowded 
with  passengers.  We  stood  on  the  upper 
deck  and  watched  the  belated  ones  arrive. 
The  butchers'  and  bakers'  supplies  were  the 
very  last  aboard  —  whole  sides  of  beef  and 
barrels  of  potatoes  and  oranges  were  hurried 
up  the  gangways  by  white-capped  scullions 
and  cooks.  There  was  no  lack  of  entertain- 
ment, for  all  the  mountebanks  in  Marseilles 
with  an  overflow  from  Italy  had  congregated 
on  the  stone  quays  determined  to  extract  our 
last  sou. 

Here  and  there  were  spread  small  squares 
of  dingy  red  carpet  on  which  clowns  turned 
somersaults,  athletes  held  wrestling  matches, 
and  girls  in  cheap  red  cotton  bloomers 
squirmed  through  tiny  hoops.  One  old  man 
balanced  on  his  chin  a  ladder  to  the  top  of 
which  his  poodle  climbed,  while  his  white- 
haired  wife  feebly  played  a  violin.  Farther 
on  an  Italian  mother  appealed  to  another 
group  of  passengers  by  stolidly  grinding  out 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT        15 

of  an  antiquated  hand-organ  the  gay  airs, 
"  Funiculi,  Funicula "  and  "  Santa  Lucia." 
Her  two  mites  of  children  in  Neapolitan 
dress  sang  the  words  in  husky  voices  and  held 
out  tambourines  for  chance  coppers.  Near 
by  a  miserable  woman  and  her  three  ragged 
children  were  scraping  up  the  few  gleanings 
of  coal  from  a  lighter  just  unloaded. 

The  ship  weighed  anchor  promptly  at  twelve 
and  left  behind  not  only  the  mountebanks 
and  numerous  vendors  with  their  strands  of 
gay  coral,  but  also  two  young  women  pas- 
sengers who  had  gone  ashore  on  the  Captain's 
promise  that  he  would  not  sail  till  one. 


Saturday,  November  26, 
The  Mediterranean  Sea. 

THIS  is  our  second  day  out,  the  sea  is  calm, 
the  air  balmy,  and  all  the  passengers  are  in 
evidence.  On  the  "  Finland  "  the  complexion 
of  the  ship  was  American;  from  the  Medi- 
terranean east  it  is  decidedly  British.  Wives 
of  English  officers  stationed  in  various  East 
India  colonies  are  returning  with  their  chil- 
dren and  amahs  after  a  vacation  in  the 
mother-country.  These  dark,  copper-skinned 
women  in  voluminous  white  draperies  and 
silver  anklets,  their  muslin  veils  falling  back- 
ward from  their  glossy  black  hair,  are  fas- 
cinating figures  to  us  —  our  first  glimpse  of 
the  Orient.  Those  from  Madras  make  the 
best  servants.  They'  are  devoted  nurses  and 
will  sit  on  the  floor  by  the  hour  to  amuse 
their  young  charges. 

Our  sailors  are  Lascars  —  another  name 
for  Oriental  seamen  —  slight  and  small,  with 
pointed  black  beards.  It  is  a  wonder  such 
slender  men  can  work  the  ropes.  They  are 
clad  in  white  cotton  trousers  and  long  blue 

16 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       17 

cotton  shirts  reaching  to  the  knee  and  con- 
fined at  the  waist  by  a  big  bandanna,  the  wide 
red  fold  and  fluttering  points  showing  in  the 
back,  while  the  other  ends  barely  knot  in 
front.  Their  small  turbans  are  likewise  red. 
With  noiseless  bare-foot  tread  they  move 
about  the  ship  and  deftly  and  unobtrusively 
perform  their  tasks.  The  Lascar  has  almost 
entirely  superseded  the  European  on  Eastern 
lines. 

The  boat  is  literally  crowded,  the  steamer- 
chairs  being  two  and  three  deep  along  the 
deck.  Old  India  travellers  have  canopies  and 
side-curtains  of  green  denim  over  their  chairs 
to  keep  out  the  reflection  from  the  water, 
which  in  Oriental  seas  is  almost  as  bad  as  the 
direct  rays  of  the  sun.  We  often  see  on  the 
lower  deck  aft  our  little  band  of  missionaries 
who  crossed  with  us  on  the  "  Finland." 

Our  Commander  has  just  been  telling  us 
of  the  exciting  times  in  these  waters  a  few 
years  ago  when  the  Russian  fleet  was  due  to 
pass  the  Canal  on  its  way  to  the  War  with 
Japan.  Every  one  was  on  the  qui  vive  to 
catch  a  glimpse  of  the  ships.  Our  Comman- 
der happened  to  sight  the  convoy  several 
times  during  one  voyage  from  England  to 
Egypt.  Various  mysterious  masts  would 
suddenly  appear  in  the  western  horizon,  but 


18       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

not  liking  the  proximity  of  their  big  guns, 
he  would  as  quickly  steam  beyond  range. 

Later  he  learned  that  this  was  a  division  of 
five  battle-ships  under  command  of  Admiral 
Nebogatoff.  Our  Commander  could  easily 
distinguish  their  order.  They  were  proceed- 
ing in  double  column,  closely  followed  and 
surrounded  astern  and  abeam  in  the  form  of 
a  letter  U  by  a  British  "  squadron  of  obser- 
vation "  twice  their  strength.  From  the 
English  Channel  to  the  Pillars  of  Hercules 
ten  ships  of  the  line  of  King  Edward's  Home 
Fleet  had  "  observed "  the  warships  of  the 
Czar.  And  at  Gibraltar,  the  strangers  were 
met  by  Great  Britain's  Mediterranean  squad- 
ron, which  in  turn  acted  as  "  escort  of  obser- 
vation "  the  remainder  of  the  way  to  Port 
Said.  Fast  or  slow,  as  moved  the  Russian, 
so  moved  the  British  fleet. 

"  And,"  concluded  our  Commander,  "  when 
night  would  settle  over  the  face  of  the  waters 
and  no  lights  show  from  either  squadron, 
while  they  kept  up  their  swift  race  through 
the  darkness,  we  put  all  steam  on,  and  our 
P.  and  O.  easily  fled  away  before  them." 


Cairo,  Egypt, 
Wednesday  morning,  November  30th. 

YESTERDAY  in  the  middle  of  the  morning, 
although  it  was  hours  before  we  sighted  the 
African  continent,  little  gray  swallows,  har- 
bingers of  land,  came  out  to  greet  us,  chirp- 
ing and  twittering  as  they  perched  on  rail 
and  mast.  In  the  late  afternoon,  as  we 
neared  the  level  shores  of  Egypt,  the  milky 
sea  stretched  away  in  liquid  miles,  with  just 
on  the  horizon  the  outline  of  Port  Said  dimly 
visible.  The  soft  blue  sky  wore  a  delicate 
sunset  flush  as  our  ship  steamed  slowly  up 
the  harbour  past  the  monument  of  De  Les- 
seps  —  a  fine  bronze  statue  on  a  massive 
stone  base  —  and  anchored  in  mid-stream  not 
far  from  the  docks. 

A  swarm  of  boats  and  launches  immedi- 
ately surrounded  us.  Two  huge  barges  came 
to  the  luggage  end  of  the  vessel  and  took 
off  our  trunks.  We  said  good-bye  to  a  num- 
ber of  fellow  passengers  bound  for  India 
direct,  and  walked  down  the  gang-way  to  the 
launch.  Madam  Shinn  managed  the  shaky 

19 


20       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

stairway  very  well  with  the  Professor's  as- 
sistance. 

Several  large  coal  lighters  were  presently 
towed  alongside  the  P.  and  O.  An  army  of 
black  imps,  each  clad  in  a  single  grimy  gar- 
ment reaching  to  the  knee,  rose  from  their 
squatting  position  on  the  barges.  Filling 
their  baskets  with  coal,  they  nimbly  sprang 
up  one  steep  plank,  dumped  their  load  in  the 
ship's  hold,  and  ran  briskly  back  by  another. 
This  slow  method  of  coaling  is  still  adhered 
to  because  it  gives  employment  to  so  many. 

The  customs  examination  —  a  mere  form 
—  was  gone  through  in  the  midst  of  great 
yelling  and  shouting  and  calling  out  "Mind! 
Mind! "  to  make  way  for  the  porters.  After 
they  had  been  paid  these  men  continued  to 
pester  the  different  members  of  the  party  for 
fees.  B.  pretended  she  did  not  understand 
and  answered  them  in  German;  I  replied  in 
French.  The  Professor  told  them  confiden- 
tially that  we  none  of  us  had  any  money,  that 
Richards  had  it  all.  Finally  he  gave  in  so 
far  as  to  promise  them  six  pence  apiece  if 
Richards  would  do  the  same.  Poor  Richards 
was  at  once  surrounded  and  besieged,  but  he 
pretended  to  be  deaf. 

Having  an  hour  to  wait,  we  promenaded 
the  long  platform,  and  gazed  out  over  the 


PORT    SAID. 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       21 

<\ 

Delta,  which  is  wide  as  a  sea,  and  was  cov- 
ered with  picturesque  sails.  Our  attention 
was  presently  attracted  to  a  Moslem  stand- 
ing on  the  narrow  platform  of  a  side-tracked 
car.  Spreading  down  his  robe  for  a  prayer- 
rug,  he  removed  his  shoes  and  began  his  devo- 
tions: these  consisted  of  repeated  kneelings 
and  risings  and  bowings  of  the  forehead  to 
the  ground;  he  must  have  practised  long  to 
be  able  to  calculate  to  such  a  nicety  the  space 
required  for  so  elaborate  a  ritual. 

Meanwhile  a  swarthy,  keen-eyed  peddler 
passed  from  door  to  door  of  the  waiting  train, 
selling  Egyptian  stamps.  Every  one  patron- 
ized him,  eager  to  know  the  required  postage 
for  foreign  letters  and  post-cards.  The  Pro- 
fessor, who  writes  long  volumes,  which  keep 
him  up  invariably  into  the  small  hours  of  the 
night,  and  whose  bill  for  postage  is  never  less 
than  two  or  three  dollars,  purchased  heavily. 
After  the  man  withdrew  we  began  to  count 
our  stamps,  got  out  our  Baedekers,  and 
found  that  the  wily  Egyptian  had  charged 
us  just  double!  The  Professor  started  in  in- 
stant pursuit,  "to  do  unto  him  as  they  do  " 
in  Texas,  but  the  man  was  nowhere  to  be 
seen. 

Ben  Hassan,  an  oily-tongued  native,  put 
in  this  hour  running  from  one  to  another  of 


22       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

the  party,  praising  his  "  learning  and  his 
goodness "  and  urging  us  to  take  him  as 
guide.  Our  would-be  cicerone  watched  us  like 
a  hawk  and  mounted  guard  at  the  door  of 
our  compartment  until  ordered  off  by  the 
guard. 

Although  night  fell  quickly  and  hid  the 
landscape  from  view,  we  could  see  the  lights 
of  occasional  ships  steaming  along  the  Suez 
Canal  which  our  line  parallelled  a  few  hundred 
feet  away.  Our  proximity  to  this  gigantic  feat 
of  modern  engineering  made  us  the  more 
eager  to  know  something  of  its  history.  The 
Professor  was  only  too  happy  to  regale  us 
with  an  account  of  the  opening  of  the  Canal 
and  the  part  played  by  the  Empress  of  the 
French  in  particular  on  that  occasion  —  facts 
gleaned  from  his  little  travelling  library 
which  included  Elizabeth  Wormeley  Lati- 
mer's  fascinating  volume,  "  France  in  the 
19th  Century." 

"  Port  Said,"  began  the  Professor,  "  sprang 
into  existence  with  the  overturning  of  the 
first  spadeful  of  dirt.  It  is  all  made  ground; 
the  mud  dredged  from  the  lagoon  of  Lake 
Menzaleh,  to  make  a  channel  for  the  approach 
of  deep  water  vessels,  having  been  dumped 
on  this  one  spot.  Thus  was  made  the  north- 
ern port  of  the  Suez  Canal  which  received 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       23 

its  name  Port  Said  after  the  Khedive  Said 
then  reigning.  Ismailia  commemorates  the 
Viceroy  in  power  at  the  completion  of  the 
waterway. 

"  Every  crowned  head  and  prince,  every 
scholar  and  scientist,  had  been  bidden  to  the 
inauguration  by  Khedive  Ismail,  who  had 
travelled  the  length  and  breadth  of  Europe, 
delivering  his  invitations  in  person.  To  the 
Viceroy's  dismay  the  Sultan  of  Turkey,  the 
real  Sovereign  of  Egypt,  at  once  signified 
his  intention  to  attend.  The  poor  Khedive 
saw  his  part  on  the  programme  relegated  to 
that  of  a  mere  vassal  attendant  on  his  liege, 
a  satellite  eclipsed  by  the  sun,  and  suffered 
a  most  miserable  quarter  of  an  hour  until  the 
Turkish  Vizier  persuaded  the  Sultan  of  the 
unwisdom  of  the  journey:  again  the  Vice- 
roy's star  was  in  the  ascendant. 

"  Affairs  in  France  being  then  in  too  critical 
a  state  to  permit  Napoleon  III  to  leave  his 
realm,  he  sent  the  Empress  Eugenie  as  a 
fitting  representative  of  his  country's  appre- 
ciation of  the  unparalleled  achievement  of 
her  illustrious  son,  M.  Ferdinand  de  Lesseps. 
The  charming  young  Empress  of  France,  then 
at  the  height  of  her  beauty,  power,  and  pop- 
ularity, sailed  on  the  war  steamer  c  L'Aigle ' 
accompanied  by  a  French  squadron  of  escort. 


24       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

She  was  the  only  lady  of  royal  rank  to  attend 
the  opening  festivities. 

"  Going  by  way  of  Constantinople  the 
Empress  was  given  a  magnificent  fete  by 
Sultan  Abdul  Aziz,  on  which  occasion  her 
dark  Spanish  beauty  was  resplendent  in  am- 
ber satin  and  diamonds. 

"Nov.  16th  'L'Aigle'  reached  Port  Said 
and  was  greeted  by  a  chorus  of  bands  play- 
ing the  then  popular  French  air  composed 
by  Queen  Hortense,  mother  of  Napoleon  III. 


" «  Partant  pour  la  Syrie 

Le  brave  et  jeune  Dunois.' 


"  That  afternoon  her  Majesty  attired  in 
a  black  hat  and  a  pale  gray  silk  gown  fes- 
tooned with  flounces  of  Brussels  lace,  at- 
tended the  Fete  of  Benediction.  The  Khe- 
dive with  the  Empress  Eugenie  led  the  pro- 
cession, followed  by  the  Emperor  of  Austria, 
the  Prince  of  Prussia,  and  the  Prince  and 
Princess  of  Holland.  Facing  the  royal  dais 
were  two  platforms,  one  bare  save  for  a 
prayer-tower  beside  which  stood  five  Moslem 
priests  in  red,  green,  black,  violet,  and  light 
blue,  the  other  decked  with  altar,  candles, 
and  crucifix,  and  crowded  with  abbots  and 
acolytes. 

"  The   Mohammedans  began   the   sendees ; 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       25 

their  youngest  priest  ascended  the  high  pul- 
pit and  in  a  few  reverent  words  besought 
Allah's  benediction  on  the  work  accomplished, 
the  country,  and  its  ruler.  Then  Abbe 
Bauer,  the  Empress'  private  chaplain  (a  con- 
verted Hungarian  Jew),  came  forward,  clad 
in  velvet.  He  pronounced  a  long  harangue, 
in  the  middle  of  which  the  weary  Khedive, 
exhausted  with  the  labour  of  planning  for 
the  comfort  of  his  royal  guests,  fell  asleep 
and  snored  audibly.  The  Abbe  concluded  by 
baptizing  the  united  waters,  Atlantic,  Medi- 
terranean, and  Indian  with  Eau  de  Cologne. 

"  Even  up  to  the  very  morning  of  the 
Opening,  Nov.  17th,  many  claimed  it  was 
impossible  for  an  ironclad  to  clear  the  canal; 
others  predicted  disaster  to  any  large  vessel 
making  the  attempt.  A  general  anxiety  and 
apprehension  of  accident  prevailed. 

"  It  had  been  arranged  that  the  warships 
should  lead  the  procession  at  intervals  of 
fifteen  minutes  and  at  a  speed  of  less  than 
five  miles  an  hour.  There  was  great  discus- 
sion as  to  which  should  go  first  and  tempt 
the  dreadful  hazard.  The  brave  comman- 
ders chivalrously  waived  the  honour  in  favour 
of  the  lady,  and  '  L'Aigle  '  was  allowed  to  lead 
the  line.  As  a  famous  wit  observed  when 
leading  the  way  to  the  dining-room,  *  We're 


26       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

all  going  to  the  devil!  You  first,  Madame.' 
Accordingly  the  Empress  Eugenie  was  the 
first  to  pass  into  the  Canal.  '  At  that  mo- 
ment,' as  Mrs.  Latimer  so  aptly  expresses 
it,  '  the  eyes  of  the  world  were  on  Egypt,' 
*  the  venerable  great-grandmother  of  civiliza- 
tion,' and  '  Eugenie  was  the  Cleopatra  of  the 
occasion.' 

"  By  night  the  van  of  the  fleet  had  reached 
Ismailia  in  safety.  Here  where  six  months 
before  was  desert  waste,  the  Khedive  had  hur- 
riedly erected  an  enormous  palace  in  which 
to  house  his  royal  guests,  and  celebrate  the 
Inaugural  Ball. 

"  Nov.  18th  was  the  day  of  the  great  Fete. 
In  the  morning  exhibitions  of  jereed  throw- 
ing and  of  Arab  horsemanship  were  given  — 
the  latter  more  or  less  a  failure  because  of 
the  heavy  sand.  In  the  middle  of  the  per- 
formance there  came  dashing  down  the  tract 
a  gay  camelcade  on  the  trot,  led  by  the  Em- 
press of  France  in  yellow  habit  and  stream- 
ing yellow  veil;  her  maids  and  attendants 
followed  hard  after  on  similar  ungainly 
beasts,  while  every  cavalier  in  Ismailia  that 
could  procure  a  mount  of  any  kind  raced 
alongside.  A  well-meaning  Italian  workman 
shouted  to  her  Majesty,  *  Lean  back  or  you'll 
fall  off  heels  over  head ! '  Her  smiling  ac- 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       27 

ceptance  of  this  homely  advice  captivated  the 
hearts  of  all. 

"  Six  thousand  guests  were  in  attendance 
that  evening  at  the  Vice-Regal  Ball,  many 
of  whom,  report  says,  belied  their  Christian 
civilization  by  their  lawless  behaviour.  Again 
the  beautiful  Empress  was  the  cynosure  of 
all  eyes.  An  English  gentleman  present  on 
that  occasion  gives  this  testimony  to  her 
charm :  '  It  is  impossible  to  overrate  the  gra- 
cious influence  of  the  Empress  Eugenie. 
The  occasion,  great  as  it  was,  would  have 
lost  its  romance  if  she  had  not  been  there. 
She  it  was  who  raised  the  spirit  of  chivalry, 
subdued  the  spirit  of  strife,  enmity,  and  in- 
trigue among  rival  men,  and  over  commerce, 
science  and  avarice  spread  the  gauzy  hues  of 
poetry.' 

"  By  Nov.  19th  all  the  forty-seven  ships  had 
arrived  at  Suez.  The  French  vessel  '  La  Pe- 
louse  '  drawing  eighteen  feet  had  run  aground, 
although  an  equally  large  Russian  cruiser 
had  cleared  the  channel  without  mishap. 

"  Nov.  25th  M.  De  Lesseps  was  married 
at  Suez  to  Louise  Helena  Autard  de  Bra- 
gard;  on  which  occasion  in  recognition  of  the 
successful  completion  of  the  Canal,  a  stupen- 
dous undertaking,  the  Empress  Eugenie,  on 
behalf  of  France,  presented  M.  De  Lesseps 


28       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

an  ancient  silver  trireme,  a  gift  symbolic  of 
his  great  contribution  to  nautical  science. 

"  Ten  short  months  later,"  concluded  the 
Professor,  "  so  fickle  is  Fortune,  the  beautiful 
Empress  found  herself  fleeing  as  a  fugitive 
on  an  English  yacht  to  seek  sanctuary  in  the 
island  home  of  her  royal  cousin,  the  noble 
Queen  Victoria." 

We  now  proceeded  to  the  dining-car,  where 
we  whiled  away  another  of  the  five  hours 
required  by  the  journey  to  Cairo.  The  table 
d'hote  dinner  was  as  well  appointed  and  as 
carefully  served  as  that  of  an  American  Pull- 
man. Opposite  us  sat  a  naive  young  Brit- 
isher who  explained  the  features  of  the  coun- 
try, the  value  of  its  coins,  and  wrote  out  for 
us  a  vocabulary  of  useful  words. 

B.,  to  tease  him,  referred  to  the  peculiar 
English  custom  of  sisters  dressing  alike. 
"  We  had  two  such  on  our  P.  and  O.,"  she 
said,  "  who  always  appeared  in  hats  and 
gowns  of  identical  colour  and  pattern!" 

"  Yes,"  he  replied,  "  that  was  a  cast-iron 
rule  in  our  household  —  my  three  grown  sis- 
ters were  made  to  dress  alike.  It  was  that 
sort  of  parental  discipline  that  made  myself 
and  my  sister  run  away.  Father  insisted  I 
take  a  position  in  the  bank.  When  I  ob- 
jected, he  kicked  me  out,  and  I  ran  away  and 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       29 

married  an  actress.  First  I  tried  acting,  and 
then  being  a  soldier,  but  neither  paid;  so 
now  I'm  an  Inspector  of  Salt  in  the  Civil 
Service  and  father  sends  me  £60  a  year  to 
stay  away."  The  young  fellow  had  a  good 
face,  had  been  married  five  years  and  was 
homesick,  and  we  felt  sorry  for  him.  At  Is- 
mailia  he  left  the  train  and  we  nodded  him  a 
cheerful  adieu  through  the  car  window. 

In  going  from  Ismailia  to  Zigazaz  we  trav- 
ersed the  length  of  the  district  of  ancient 
Goshen. 

We  are  now  coming  to  Old  Testament 
Ground,  and  if  you  look  in  your  Bagster  you 
can  follow  along  with  us.  The  Professor 
took  out  his  Bible  and  read  us  the  passages 
bearing  upon  this  region. 

We  entered  Egypt  from  Port  Said,  going 
southward  by  train  along  the  eastern  border 
of  Lake  Menzaleh,  a  few  miles  below  which 
are  the  ruins  of  Tanis,  ancient  Zoan,  the  cap- 
ital of  the  Hyksos,  where  stood  a  colossus  of 
Ramses  the  Great,  ninety  feet  in  height,  and 
where  Moses  performed  the  miracles  before 
the  eyes  of  the  hard-hearted  Pharaoh.  The 
long,  straight  road  debouched  westward  at 
Kantarah  near  a  site  colonized  by  the  Jews 
after  the  fall  of  Jerusalem.  From  Ismailia 
we  travelled  through  the  land  of  Goshen 


30       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

along  the  road  whither  Jacob  and  his  sons 
journeyed  on  their  way  down  into  Egypt  in 
the  time  of  the  seven  years'  famine. 

After  living  seventeen  years  in  this  land 
of  exile  the  aged  patriarch  called  his  sons 
about  him  and  divided  his  patrimony  among 
them,  bestowing  on  one  a  blessing,  on  another 
a  curse  —  to  Judah  a  sceptre,  to  Simeon  and 
Levi  dispersion,  but  to  Joseph,  "  the  fruitful 
bough  —  whose  branches  run  over  the  wall," 
the  lion's  share,  dominion  and  increase  of 
tribe.  Then  Israel  charged  the  twelve  that 
they  should  carry  him  back  to  Canaan  and 
bury  him  with  his  fathers  in  the  cave  which 
Abraham  had  bought  from  Ephron  the  Hit- 
tite  for  a  burying-place.  "  And  when  Jacob 
had  made  an  end  of  commanding  his  sons  he 
yielded  up  the  ghost,  and  was  gathered  unto 
his  people." 

Joseph  now  commanded  his  servants,  the 
physicians,  to  embalm  his  father;  "and  the 
physicians  embalmed  Israel;"  and  "the 
Egyptians  mourned  for  him  threescore  and 
ten  days."  Then  Joseph,  obtaining  permis- 
sion of  Pharaoh,  "  went  up  to  bury  his  father; 
and  with  him  went  up  all  the  servants  of 
Pharaoh,"  and  "  all  the  elders  of  the  land 
of  Egypt  and  all  the  house  of  Joseph  and 
his  brethren;"  —  "only  their  little  ones  and 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       31 

their  flocks  and  their  herds  they  left  in  the 
land  of  Goshen." 

When  it  came  Joseph's  time  to  die  he  also 
"  took  an  oath  of  the  children  of  Israel,  say- 
ing: '  God  will  surely  visit  you,  and  ye  shall 
carry  up  my  bones  from  hence.' '  The  closing 
verse  of  the  last  chapter  of  Genesis  records: 
"  So  Joseph  died,  being  an  hundred  and  ten 
years  old;  and  they  embalmed  him,  and  he 
was  put  in  a  coffin  in  Egypt."  Later  when 
the  Israelites  were  ready  to  cross  the  Red 
Sea,  the  oath  was  kept.  In  Exodus  13-19, 
we  read:  "And  Moses  took  the  bones  of 
Joseph  with  him,  for  he  had  straightly  sworn 
the  children  of  Israel  saying :  '  God  will 
surely  visit  you,  and  ye  shall  carry  up  my 
bones  away  hence  with  you.' ' 

A  little  farther  on  our  train  passed  close  to 
Pithom,  one  of  Pharaoh's  treasure-cities,  built 
by  the  Hebrews  out  of  bricks  made  without 
straw,  "  where  the  Egyptians  made  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  to  serve  with  rigour." 

When  we  reached  the  station  at  Cairo  at 
once  the  charm  and  picturesqueness  of  Africa 
confronted  us.  We  were  puzzled  and  fasci- 
nated. A  sea  of  swarthy  faces,  muffled  in 
white,  a  bright  sparkling  of  conical  red  caps, 
and  a  mass  of  green  and  yellow  draperies  — 


32       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

bodies  swathed  in  multitudinous  folds  of  bril- 
liant hue  —  pressed  round  us. 

A  babel  of  strange  tongues  broke  forth  on 
the  air.  With  some  trepidation  our  little 
party  stepped  upon  the  platform,  and  were 
taken  in  charge  by  the  head  porter  of  the 
Grand  Hotel  Continental,  dressed  in  regula- 
tion blue  uniform  and  brass  buttons,  his 
Egyptian  blood  betokened  by  his  red  fez. 
Victorias  were  in  waiting  and  we  were  soon 
clattering  noisily  at  neck-break  speed  through 
the  deserted  streets  of  Cairo,  passing  occa- 
sionally a  poor  merchant  asleep  on  a  bundle 
of  dried  palm  leaves  before  his  locked  cup- 
board of  a  shop,  —  the  southern  stars  with 
unwonted  brilliance  shining  down  upon  us 
from  the  deep  midnight  sky. 

The  wide  glass  doors  of  the  hotel  opened 
automatically  at  our  approach.  Within  stood 
two  attendants  in  crimson  robes.  They  wore 
long  baggy  trousers  of  yards  and  yards  of 
cloth  pleated  about  the  waist  and  gathered 
in  a  pouch  at  the  tops  of  black  gaiters,  zouave 
jackets  and  belts  a  mass  of  gold  broidery, 
and  the  inevitable  tarbush,  the  Egyptian  fez. 
These  were  but  two  of  an  army  of  servants 
whose  picturesqueness  gave  the  touch  of  Ori- 
ental splendour  for  which  our  imagination 
longed. 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       33 

Late  as  it  was  we  had  "  high  tea  "  in  the 
supper-room  where  the  orchestra  was  still  on 
duty.  After  midnight  our  trunks  arrived, 
carried  on  the  backs  of  porters,  the  weight 
being  partially  borne  by  a  strap  around  their 
foreheads. 


Cairo, 
Wednesday  evening,  November  30th. 

CAIRO  is  the  western  metropolis  of  the 
Orient  and  a  most  cosmopolitan  city.  Its 
wonderful  climate  makes  it  the  winter  resort 
of  thousands  of  Europeans  and  Americans, 
while  its  sunny  skies  and  its  wise  administra- 
tion by  the  British  make  it  the  favourite  home 
of  the  wealthy  Asiatic,  be  he  Turk,  Syrian 
or  Jew  —  all  build  splendid  palaces  of  stone 
or  stucco  along  the  broad  avenues  of  the 
modern  city.  The  native  quarter,  a  hive  of 
narrow  lanes  with  lofty  minarets  and  shining 
domes  shut  in  by  small  shops  and  dingy 
dwellings,  is  a  place  quite  apart. 

It  is  comical  to  see  these  Nubians,  black 
as  night,  trigged  out  in  the  heavy  cloth  uni- 
form of  the  English  police,  all  except  the 
helmet.  The  street-car  force,  also  Egyptian, 
appear  very  clumsy  in  their  European  dress. 
Mansfield  Pasha  is  the  head  of  the  Cairene 
police  force.  The  British  give  the  minor 
positions  to  natives  and  reserve  the  important 
offices  for  themselves. 

34 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       35 

We  see  few  women.  Occasionally  a  Mo- 
hammedan beauty,  her  person  enveloped  in 
a  big  blue  cloak  puffed  out  like  a  balloon  by 
the  wind,  rides  by  astride  on  a  brown  burro, 
the  toes  of  her  heelless  slippers  tucked  in  the 
short  stirrups  which  thrust  her  knees  nearly 
up  to  the  level  of  her  chin.  She  wears  the 
customary  two  veils,  —  a  black  band  bound 
about  her  forehead  and  a  pendent  veil  across 
her  face  below  the  eyes,  —  the  two  held  to- 
gether by  a  brass  cylinder  resting  on  the 
bridge  of  the  nose.  The  only  features  visi- 
ble are  the  deep  black  eyes  which  gaze  curi- 
ously out  with  the  frightened  look  of  a  caged 
deer.  Sometimes  we  meet  a  family  group. 
This  morning  we  passed  the  four  wives  of 
a  Mussulman,  —  his  harem,  —  sitting  tailor- 
fashion  on  a  long  two-wheeled  cart,  their 
babies  with  them,  and  the  paterfamilias  afoot 
beside  the  donkey. 

The  lot  of  the  Moslem  woman  is  far  from 
happy.  She  is  not  only  regarded  as  a  mere 
chattel,  but  as  a  wile  of  the  devil  as  well. 
Upon  this  point  Mr.  Stanley  Lane-Poole 
cites  the  words  of  the  great  Mohammed 
himself:  "  The  unalterable  iniquity  of  woman- 
kind is  an  incontrovertible  fact  among  the 
men  of  the  East;  it  is  part  of  their  religion. 
Did  not  the  blessed  Prophet  say,  I  stood  at 


36       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

the  gate  of  Paradise  and  lo!  most  of  its  in- 
habitants were  poor:  and  I  stood  at  the  gates 
of  Hell  and  lo!  most  of  its  inhabitants  were 
women.  Is  it  not  moreover  a  physiological 
fact  that  woman  was  made  out  of  a  crooked 
rib  of  Adam,  which  would  break  if  you  tried 
to  bend  it,  and  if  you  left  it  alone  would 
always  remain  crooked? " 

Apropos  of  harems:  An  amusing  incident 
happened  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gorham  and  their 
friend,  Miss  Cox,  guests  at  our  hotel.  They 
were  told  that  one  passport  would  suffice  for 
the  three  on  their  recent  trip  through  Pales- 
tine. Later  they  discovered  on  examination 
that  it  was  made  out  in  true  Oriental  fashion : 
"  Gorham  Pasha  and  harem,"  which  resulted 
in  somewhat  mixed  feelings  in  the  whole  trio 
as  to  just  who  was  who.  Moreover  the  gen- 
tleman in  question,  being  of  an  independent 
American  spirit,  objected  to  the  waste  of 
time  incident  to  having  this  precious  docu- 
ment viseed  every  time  the  party  entered  or 
left  a  town;  so  when  they  arrived  at  Damas- 
cus, without  having  attended  to  this  little 
preliminary,  the  Paslia  was  arrested  and 
thrown  into  prison,  and  his  harem,  between 
them,  had  to  put  up  a  good  round  sum  to 
bail  him  out. 

The  natives,  both  men  and  women,  are  clad 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       37 

in  long,  flowing  robes  of  deep  blue  or  black; 
while  the  chamber-boys  of  our  hotel  wear 
costumes  of  white  cotton  —  for  all  the  world 
like  night-shirts.  Many  of  the  men  are  tall 
and  slender  with  small  heads  and  fine  fea- 
tures. All  have  a  dignified  bearing  and  the 
better  class  are  decidedly  aristocratic. 

The  first  concession  to  European  dress  the 
native  makes  is  to  lay  aside  the  huge  yellow 
paddles  —  which  by  courtesy  we  call  slippers 
-  for  a  civilized  shoe  or  gaiter.  Then  in- 
stead of  his  splendid,  all-enveloping  outer 
robe  he  assumes  a  European  overcoat;  grad- 
ually his  under  robe  grows  shorter  and 
shorter  and  finally  he  dons  trousers.  This 
is  his  last  concession ;  to  his  tarbush  —  a 
taller  fez  with  dark  blue  tassel  —  he  clings, 
never  parting  from  it  except  to  sleep,  for  it 
is  the  peculiar  badge  of  the  disciple  of  Mo- 
hammed. Over  the  tarbush  many  wind  a 
turban.  The  orthodox  turban  among  the 
Arabs  is  a  goodly  piece  of  cloth ;  it  must  reach 
seven  times  around  the  head,  a  length  equiva- 
lent to  that  of  the  body,  in  order  that  it  may 
serve  as  its  owner's  winding-sheet,  and  thereby 
accustom  him  to  the  thought  of  death.  The 
descendant  of  Mohammed  wears  a  white  tur- 
ban, while  the  Hajis  who  has  made  pilgrim- 
age to  Mecca  is  entitled  to  a  green  one. 


38       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

Our  hotel  is  on  the  main  avenue,  facing 
the  Esbekiyeh  Gardens.  Across  the  entire 
front  of  the  building,  a  few  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  street,  is  a  wide  terrace  enclosed  in 
an  iron  railing.  Here  Madam  Shinn  and  I 
had  tea  this  afternoon,  sitting  under  the  shade 
of  potted  palms  and  oleanders  while  we 
watched  the  kaleidoscopic  scene  below.  A 
constant  stream  of  carriages  passed  from 
both  directions,  for  all  Europeans  ride;  Cop- 
tic EfFendi  in  government  employ  trotted 
proudly  by  on  well-groomed  horses,  urged 
on  with  voice  and  stick  by  tall,  lean  Arab 
runners  in  clumsy  blue  gowns.  Swarthy 
Mohammedans  with  long  legs  nearly  touch- 
ing the  ground  rode  by  on  the  rumps  of  tiny 
burros.  A  smart  dog-cart  next  caught  my 
eye,  the  ribbons  held  by  a  swell  young  Eng- 
lishwoman, while  the  tiger  was  a  big  Egyp- 
tian resplendent  in  gold.  Every  person  of 
position  has  a  dozen  servants,  all  elaborately 
gold-embroidered.  I  should  want  a  retinue. 

Opposite  in  the  Esbekiyeh  was  a  fair 
young  French  mother  with  her  pretty  babe 
in  the  arms  of  a  dark-skinned  nurse,  whos? 
bright  yellow  gown  and  necklace  of  gold 
coins  showed  under  her  loose  black  drapery. 

About  four  o'clock  B.  and  I  went  in  search 
of  a  book-store.  We  had  to  pass  through 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       39 

the  crowd  of  peddlers  and  vendors  of  every 
description,  dragomans  and  loafers  generally, 
who  from  morning  till  night  throng  the  side- 
walk adjoining  our  hotel.  As  we  stepped 
into  this  moving  mass  we  were  at  once  sur- 
rounded. The  "  posty-card "  man  thrust  a 
package  of  cards  into  my  hand,  while  a  soft- 
voiced  dragoman  on  my  right  with  the  bow  ~ 
of  a  Chesterfield  beseeched  me  to  let  him  con- 
duct me  around  Cairo.  At  the  same  moment 
my  vista  was  shut  in  by  two  huge  bouquets 
of  La  France  roses  presented  by  a  flower 
peddler,  who  balanced  on  his  head  the  while 
a  can  of  flaming  poinsettias.  At  this  junc- 
ture a  glittering  circlet  was  thrown  over  my 
head,  and  the  man  with  beads  dangled  neck- 
lace after  necklace  before  my  eyes,  and  finally 
thrust  his  person  directly  before  me,  every 
inch  of  him  covered  with  shining  strands  of 
coloured  glass,  so  that  it  was  hard  to  resist 
him,  —  quite  hard  until  I  caught  sight  of  an 
English  grandmother  bedizened  with  a  half 
dozen  of  these  same  showy  trifles,  whereupon 
the  tawdriness  of  it  all  dawned  suddenly 
upon  me. 

Although  it  is  December,  dainty  baskets 
of  delicious  strawberries  appeared  as  if  by 
magic,  and  we  sampled  them  on  the  spot,  two 
berries  a  millieme*  Lads  bearing  long  stuffed 


40       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

crocodiles  on  their  heads,  and  carrying  trays 
of  scarabs  and  amulets  manufactured  in  Bir- 
mingham in  their  hands,  followed  us  like 
hawks,  grinning  at  us  as  they  darted  across 
our  path  every  few  moments  to  present  their 
wares.  It  was  in  this  same  crowd,  before  he 
had  gone  a  dozen  steps  from  the  hotel  this 
morning,  that  the  Professor  had  his  watch 
stolen.  By  the  aid  of  the  police,  however, 
he  recovered  it,  but  not  before  he  had  landed 
in  jail  a  gang  of  five  newsboys,  organized 
thieves.  Now  the  Professor  wears  his  time- 
piece pinned  conspicuously  in  his  watch- 
pocket  with  a  big  white  safety-pin. 

At  the  table  d'hote  to-night,  which  was  at 
the  fashionable  hour  of  eight,  we  found  the 
guests  mostly  English  with  some  few  from  out- 
of-the-way  corners  of  Europe.  A  big  blond 
German  rubbed  shoulders  with  a  dainty 
French  count,  the  fierce  grizzled  Russian 
with  the  slender  effervescent  Italian,  while 
next  the  artist  with  open  collar  and  wide  tie 
sat  a  long-haired  archaeologist,  lost  in  rev- 
erie over  ages  long  gone  by.  The  ladies  all 
were  gowned  in  gorgeous  toilets,  while  a  few 
British  officers  in  short  scarlet  jackets  and 
red-striped  trousers  added  brilliance  to  the 
scene. 


Thursday,  December  1st, 
Cairo. 

THIS  morning  Mr.  Richards  introduced  to 
us  Selim,  our  Cairo  dragoman,  a  most  im- 
posing individual  of  portly  figure,  unctuous, 
jealous  for  his  reputation,  demanding  con- 
sideration, and  not  to  be  troubled  by  many 
trifling  questions.  He  is  a  Copt,  a  Christian 
like  ourselves,  he  wishes  us  to  understand, 
and  possesses  but  one  wife.  Moreover,  he  is 
a  travelled  personage,  having  held  some  re- 
sponsible position  in  the  Egyptian  concession, 
at  the  Chicago  Fair. 

Selim  to-day  took  us  first  to  the  Pyramids, 
driving  westward  across  the  great  Nile  bridge, 
which  is  guarded  by  two  massive  bronze 
lions.  The  bridge  is  open  at  certain  hours 
to  allow  ships  to  pass  up  the  river.  We  hap- 
pened to  arrive  at  such  a  time,  and  found, 
congregated  near  the  approach,  fashionable 
turn-outs,  native  carts,  trim  soldiers,  swarthy 
mounted  police,  vendors  in  long  blue  or  white 
robes  with  hand-carts  of  sweets  or  fruits,  tur- 
bans of  every  shade  bobbing  here  and  there, 

41 


42       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

sheiks  in  silken  caftans,  Arabs  in  dirty  green 
and  yellow  gowns  astride  huge  camels,  laden 
with  cane  or  alfalfa,  and  Syrians  on  donkeys, 
the  curling  toe  of  their  tasselled  slippers  rest- 
ing on  their  stirrups  —  all  waiting  to  pass. 
No  less  a  concourse  had  gathered  on  the  op- 
posite bank.  As  the  bridge  swung  to,  the 
impatient  crowds  surged  forward  from  both 
sides  in  a  mad  rush  to  be  the  first  across. 
Our  driver  likewise  lashed  up  his  horses,  and 
as  I  saw  the  towering  camels  come  on,  cleav- 
ing a  way  for  themselves  through  the  moving 
mass,  and  heard  the  screams  and  shouts  of 
the  various  teamsters,  I  held  my  breath,  ex- 
pecting some  catastrophe.  Nothing  worse 
happened,  however,  than  the  loss  of  a  few 
bunches  of  alfalfa,  which  a  long-eared  donkey 
at  once  appropriated. 

The  road  to  the  Pyramids  extends  eight 
miles  to  the  southwest,  and  is  in  reality  a 
causeway  raised  several  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  low  land  it  crosses.  This  avenue  dates 
back  to  1869,  the  time  of  the  opening  of  the 
Suez  Canal.  That  year  Egypt  swept  her 
front  steps  and  furbished  up  her  monuments. 
In  order  that  his  chief  guest,  the  Empress 
Eugenie,  might  visit  the  Pyramids  with  com- 
fort, the  Khedive  ordered  this  carriage  road 
constructed  thither,  and  a  kiosque  erected  near 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       43 

the  Sphinx  where  her  Majesty  could  rest  and 
shelter  from  the  sun  while  viewing  the  monu- 
ments at  leisure.  Every  man  for  miles  around 
was  summoned  to  the  task  and  compelled  to 
do  forced  labour  without  food,  tools  or  pay. 
This  corvee  system  which  the  Khedive  used 
for  all  his  public  works  was  like  that  of 
Egypt's  ancient  kings,  Khufu  and  Khafre. 

Mme.  Eugenie  Bonaparte  occasionally 
comes  over  in  her  declining  years  to  pass 
a  winter  under  Egypt's  mild  skies.  "  Two 
years  ago,"  said  Mr.  Richards,  "  when  in 
Cairo,  I  went  to  dine  with  a  friend  at  The 
Savoy,  where  the  widowed  ex-Empress  was 
stopping  incognito  under  the  title  of  Com- 
tesse  de  Pierrefonds.  My  friend  and  I 
joined  the  group  gathered  in  the  hallway  to 
salute  the  elderly  white-haired  lady,  pale  of 
face  and  gowned  in  quiet  black,  as  she  passed 
leaning  on  a  cane  between  the  waiting  guests, 
and  followed  by  her  small  suite  on  their  way 
to  the  dining-salon.  A  faint  smile  and  slight 
inclination  of  the  head  acknowledged  the 
courtesy  accorded  to  former  rank,  past  beauty 
and  feeble  age." 

This  high  road  to  the  Pyramids  is  indeed 
a  magnificent  way  shaded  by  lofty  wide- 
spreading  lebbek  trees  arching  overhead  — 
trees  planted  when  the  road  was  made.  On 


44       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

one  side  runs  an  electric  line  with  first  and 
second  class  and  women's  compartments. 
The  carrying  of  an  electric  tram  to  monu- 
ments of  such  unquestioned  antiquity  —  to 
the  very  base  of  the  Pyramids  —  is  a  bridg- 
ing of  the  centuries  by  the  spirit  of  modern 
utilitarianism  which  seems  most  irreverent 
effrontery. 

As  the  country  at  this  season  is  inundated 
by  the  Nile,  our  road  for  miles  was  a  dyke 
with  water  on  either  side  of  us.  The  an- 
cients poetically  attributed  this  yearly  flood- 
ing of  the  Nile  to  the  tears  of  Isis  weeping 
for  Osiris.  Their  proverb  for  the  impossible 
was  a  similar  allusion,  "  Can  man  arrest  the 
tears  of  Isis  as  they  flow? " 

The  land  which  has  been  flooded  for  two 
or  three  months  is  now  being  drained.  Men 
and  boys  were  standing  ankle-deep  in  slush, 
hoeing  and  scraping  the  mud  with  a  narrow 
blade,  for  it  was  too  wet  to  be  ploughed.  Sow- 
ers followed  scattering  the  seed  which  they 
carried  in  their  robes,  and  after  them  came 
other  fellahs  dragging  branches  of  palms 
over  the  seeded  section  to  cover  it.  Selim 
says  the  seed  formerly  was  trampled  in  by 
driving  cattle  and  sheep  over  the  land.  Here 
and  there  on  a  bit  of  high  ground  were  saucy 
black  crows  strutting  about  with  a  gray  spot 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       45 

like  a  pointed  shawl  on  their  shoulders.  Far- 
ther on  men  were  fishing  with  trousers  rolled 
high  above  the  hips.  One  fellah  stood  where 
the  current  was  strong,  reached  round  in  the 
muddy  stream  with  his  hands,  and  flung  his 
catch  ashore  to  a  dirty  urchin  who  put  it  in 
his  robe. 

Nothing  more  picturesque  than  this  drive 
can  be  imagined.  A  continuous  string  of  pa- 
tient donkeys  trotted  by,  buried  under  stacks 
of  alfalfa;  long  lines  of  stately  camels,  tied 
nose  and  tail,  stalked  past  us  covered  with 
great  bundles  of  sugar-cane,  the  long  stems 
sweeping  the  ground  as  they  trod;  quaint 
Egyptian  carts,  crowded  to  the  limit  with 
picturesque  folk,  demanded  right  of  way, 
while  companies  of  Arabs,  their  swarthy  faces 
contrasting  strangely  with  the  white  drapery 
of  their  head-dress,  strode  by,  staff  in  hand, 
and  garments  fluttering  in  the  breeze. 

Suddenly  between  the  hurrying  trunks  of 
lebbek  trees  shading  the  highway,  we  caught 
glimpses  of  faint  pointed  pinnacles  that  seemed 
to  float  like  phantom  islands,  rose  red,  in  the 
distant  amber  haze.  The  nearer  we  ap- 
proached the  Pyramids,  the  more  stupendous 
and  overpowering  appeared  their  mass  and 
size.  Vast  and  primeval,  these  titanic  shapes 
press  with  tremendous  gravity  earth's  level 


46       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

floor,  grappling  far  fingers  on  every  side 
deep  into  the  sandy  soil;  their  pointed  crests, 
hoar  with  the  cycles  of  many  suns,  rise  like 
lesser  Alps  from  the  desert's  dusty  plain; 
compact  and  grim  these  mighty  piles  stand 
like  the  everlasting  hills,  enduring,  unmov- 
ing,  their  mystery  close-locked  under  myriad 
slabs,  only  to  be  revealed  at  that  latter  day 
"  when  the  heavens  roll  together  as  a  scroll," 
when  "  the  earth  melts  with  fervent  heat," 
and  "  the  sea  gives  up  her  dead." 

One  does  not  marvel  that  the  ancient 
Greeks  counted  these  mountains  of  masonry 
in  their  classic  list  of  seven  world  wonders; 
the  Pyramids  are  to-day  the  only  one  of  the 
seven  extant.  Being  in  the  foreground  the 
Great  Pyramid  so  absorbs  sky  and  horizon 
as  completely  to  fill  the  eye,  to  the  exclusion 
not  only  of  the  group  of  lesser  monuments 
near,  but  of  its  equally  gigantic  mate  just 
beyond.  Not  a  mound  but  a  mountain, 
erected  layer  by  layer  with  labour  unthink- 
able—  not  alone  a  tomb,  but  a  temple,  it 
afforded  both  sepulchre  and  sanctuary.  One 
wonders  what  the  prototype,  what  the  creed 
of  a  race  requiring  for  the  adequate  expres- 
sion of  its  faith  a  geometry  of  such  gigantic 
blocks  of  granite.  Whatever  the  doubt  or 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       47 

the  dogma  dominating  their  builders,  we  can- 
not but  believe  that  — 

/ 

"  The  hand  that  rounded  Peter's  dome 
And  groined  the  aisles  of  ancient  Rome, 
Wrought  in  a  sad  sincerity  ; 
Himself  from  God  he  could  not  free. 


"  Earth  proudly  wears  the  Parthenon 
As  the  best  gem  upon  her  zone, 
And  morning  opes  with  haste  her  lids 
To  gaze  upon  the  Pyramids. 

"  And  nature  gladly  gave  them  place, 
Adopted  them  into  the  race, 
And  granted  them  an  equal  date 
With  Andes  and  with  Ararat." 

We  reached  Mena  House  near  the  Pyra- 
mids in  time  for  one  o'clock  tiffin.  It  is  a 
most  artistic  hotel  modelled  after  a  Saracen 
mosque.  The  arches  of  its  windows  and  cor- 
ridors are  filled  in  with  exquisite  lattice 
screens.  The  dining-room  is  especially  Ori- 
ental in  its  use  of  the  beautiful  horseshoe 
arch,  peculiar  to  the  Mosque  of  Cordova. 
The  tables  were  festive  with  roses,  while  the 
grounds  are  planted  with  eucalyptus  and  aca- 
cia; here,  too,  as  elsewhere  near  Cairo,  flour- 
ish the  scarlet  poinsettia  and  the  purple  bou- 


48       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

ganvillia.  A  short  shower  delayed  our  dri- 
ving on  to  the  Pyramids  until  three  o'clock. 

Beside  the  Great  Pyramid,  which  is  the 
one  usually  ascended,  there  are  two  others 
approaching  it  in  size,  and  groups  of  smaller 
ones  near. 

At  last  we  had  arrived,  this  was  the  desert, 
this  the  Egypt  of  our  dreams. 

Dismissing  the  carriage  we  plunged  on 
foot  into  the  deep  sand,  the  glaring  golden 
sand  that  burned  through  our  shoes  and 
gleamed  into  our  eyes.  Weary  with  walking 
the  heavy  way,  we  sank  on  the  shifting  soil, 
scooped  handsful  of  the  glittering  grains, 
sifting  their  gritty  particles  through  our  fin- 
gers. Before,  behind,  around,  naught  but  an 
endless  sea  of  sand !  Even  the  giant  Pyramids 
themselves,  looming  bare  and  bald,  seemed 
but  huge  mountains  of  rusty  sand  raised  by 
sweeping  siroccos.  All  was  one  single  sub- 
stance, vast,  elemental,  monotonous. 

Must  not  this  unmeasured  desert  store- 
house, this  inexhaustible  supply  of  sand,  have 
furnished  material  for  our  earth  planet? 
Were  not  these  the  primeval  atoms,  this  the 
star  dust  of  which  spheres  were  constructed? 

In  this  wide  and  lonesome  space  the  foun- 
dations of  the  earth  were  laid;  here  time 
began  with  the  beginning  of  days:  "And 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT      49 

the  evening  and  the  morning  were  the  first 
day."  In  this  workshop  mountains  were 
moulded,  hills  and  valleys  made;  and  here 
Adam,  —  the  dust-man,  was  formed.  "  As 
the  sand  which  is  upon  the  sea  shore,  so  shall 
thy  seed  be,"  was  the  wondrous  promise  to 
the  patriarch  Abraham,  a  dweller  beside  the 
desert. 

Overhead  the  fierce  African  sun,  single 
and  all-enveloping,  beats  down  with  resistless 
force  on  the  bare  brown  earth,  compelling 
undivided  homage.  The  monotheism  of  He- 
brew and  Moslem,  desert-bred,  is  not  far  to 
seek.  Now  that  we  have  trod  its  sands,  and 
felt  its  sun,  endured  its  thirst,  and  seen  its 
desolation,  the  history  of  Egypt  and  adjacent 
Palestine  is  no  longer  a  sealed  volume;  the 
imagery  of  the  Prophet,  the  poetry  of  the 
Psalmist,  and  the  parable  of  the  Nazarene 
all  have  a  meaning  and  significance  before  un- 
known. 

But  Selim  is  calling,  "  Do  we  wish  to  climb 
Khufu? " 

All  the  way  out  the  party  had  bravely  dis- 
cussed making  the  ascent,  but  as  we  neared 
the  foot  of  this  formidable  pile  their  courage 
oozed  out.  While  we  debated  the  question, 
the  voluble  Arabs,  eager  to  exhibit  their  agil- 
ity, crowded  about  us  offering  to  run  up  the 


50       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

Great  Pyramid  and  back  in  six  minutes  for 
a  shilling.  B.  chose  one  man,  who  immedi- 
ately discarded  his  outer  garment  and  girt  up 
his  loins.  She  took  out  her  watch  and  he  made 
a  dash  for  the  Pyramid,  climbing  like  a  goat 
without  pausing  for  breath.  At  the  top  he 
waved  a  salute  and  then  came  jumping  down, 
first  on  one  foot,  then  on  the  other  over  blocks 
three  and  four  feet  high,  and  arrived  breath- 
less and  smiling  at  the  end  of  nine  minutes 
to  claim  his  shilling.  A  breeze  had  delayed 
him  somewhat,  but  even  then  it  was  a  mar- 
vellous feat. 

Thus  encouraged,  the  Professor,  B.,  and  I 
decided  to  make  the  attempt.  We  each  paid 
our  two  shillings  to  the  sheik  who  was  in  charge 
of  a  lot  of  Arabs  lined  up  in  a  row.  B.  told 
the  sheik  to  choose  the  cleanest  ones  for  her. 
Three  helpers  were  assigned  to  each  of  us. 
All  the  way  up  B.'s  three  kept  telling  her  how 
clean  they  were.  The  Arabs  at  once  seized 
upon  their  respective  victims,  one  at  each 
elbow,  and  a  third  behind  to  push. 

The  altitude  of  the  Great  Pyramid  is  451 
feet,  but  the  ascent  is  made  from  one  corner 
up  an  angle  750  feet.  Many  of  the  blocks 
are  over  four  feet  high.  We  now  discarded 
our  jackets  and  pinned  on  our  hats  securely. 
We  had  worn  our  oldest  shoes  and  our  short- 


THE  BEDOUINS  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 


est  walking  skirts,  but  they  were  not  half 
short  enough.  Accordingly  two  of  the  men 
unwound  their  long  white  turbans  from  their 
fezes  and  tied  them  around  our  hips  to  hold 
up  our  skirts.  Then  two  of  my  helpers 
climbed  ahead  and  reached  back  to  pull  me 
up,  while  the  third  stood  behind  "  to  boost," 
and  I  was  only  too  glad  of  his  aid.  Besides 
these  a  volunteer  carried  a  jug  of  water  to 
quench  our  thirst  and  incidentally  extract  a 
piastre  now  and  then. 

We  rested  frequently.  At  the  first  stop- 
ping place  the  Professor  got  out  his  pills  and 
took  some  nitro-glycerine  —  "  dynamite,"  he 
calls  it,  and  gave  some  to  each  of  the  ten 
Arabs,  who  were  his  sworn  friends  on  the 
spot.  The  medicine-man  they  revere  as  a 
god,  and  at  once  confided  to  him  not  only 
their  own  ailments,  but  those  of  their  numer- 
ous wives  and  children  as  well. 

As  we  started  on, the  Arabs  urged  us  to 
go  more  slowly.  A  sturdy  Frenchman  with 
his  three  helpers  passed  us  and  reached  the 
top  long  before  us.  After  the  second  halt 
the  steps  grew  steeper  and  narrower.  In 
some  places  there  was  just  room  to  place  a 
foot,  and  the  blocks  were  breast  high.  I  was 
entirely  winded  and  quite  helpless,  and  my 
natives  had  literally  to  haul  me  up  over  the 


52       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

ledge.  B.'s  pusher  was  "  boosting  "  with  all 
his  might.  '  You're  heavier  than  the  gentle- 
man," he  told  her  —  a  puff  of  wind  would 
blow  the  Professor  away!  —  insinuating  he 
deserved  a  bigger  fee.  B.  promised  every- 
thing, for  was  she  not  at  his  mercy? 

Near  the  top  we  paused  on  a  narrow  step, 
and  as  I  glanced  back,  the  layers  of  stone 
projecting  scarcely  a  foot  looked  like  a 
smooth  incline,  and  I  felt  sick  at  the  thought 
of  the  descent,  with  nothing  to  break  a  fall. 
After  many  halts  we  finally  gained  the  top; 
the  people  and  camels  below  looked  like  pyg- 
mies, and  I  had  long  since  ceased  to  hear 
their  voices.  I  hurrahed  and  waved  my  hand- 
kerchief; they  waved  back  scarfs  and  um- 
brellas. 

Now,  for  a  few  straight  facts;  skip  them, 
if  you  like.  These  Pyramids  of  Gizeh,  built 
exactly  facing  the  four  cardinal  points  of  the 
compass,  are  one  of  five  groups  of  Pyramids 
extending  southward  for  twenty  miles  along 
the  eastern  edge  of  the  plateau  called  the 
Libyan  Desert.  The  stone  for  them  came 
mostly  from  the  Mokattam  cliffs  on  the  east, 
and  was  transported  across  the  Nile  and  over 
the  sandy  plain. 

Lepsius'  layer  theory  of  construction  was 
long  approved.  According  to  it,  each  heir 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       53 

apparent  of  the  ancient  Pharaohs,  as  soon  as 
he  became  twenty-one,  began  to  build  himself 
a  pyramid-tomb,  constructed  with  passage 
leading  by  many  turns  and  trap-doors  to  a 
secret  vault;  every  succeeding  year  he  added 
an  outer  layer;  the  longer  his  life,  the  larger 
the  pyramid.  At  his  death  the  steps  of  the 
sides  were  filled  in  smooth  with  triangular 
stones  by  his  successor. 

A  recent  examination  of  these  piles  by  the 
architect  Dr.  Borchardt  discredits  this  naive 
assumption  of  enlargement  at  the  rate  of  a 
layer  a  year,  but  discovers  in  many  pyramids 
evidence  of  a  change  of  plan  during  construc- 
tion. Dr.  Borchardt  concedes  that  long-lived 
kings  probably  remodelled  their  monuments 
on  much  larger  lines;  as  was  certainly  the 
case  with  King  Khufu's  Pyramid. 

The  Great  Pyramid  at  Gizeh  was  built 
B.C.  2900  by  Khufu  (Cheops)  of  Memphis, 
the  founder  of  the  Fourth  Dynasty.  The 
base  of  the  Pyramid  covers  thirteen  acres, 
while  the  mound  itself  measures  755  feet  on 
each  side  and  has  an  altitude  of  451  feet. 
Originally  it  was  some  twenty  feet  larger 
each  way,  but  the  outer  casing  has  been  used 
as  a  quarry  by  later  generations. 

Khufu  elected  to  place  his  Pyramid  on  the 
edge  of  the  mesa  in  order  that  it  might  com- 


54       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

mand  both  "  White  Wall "  and  Sacred  City 
—  Memphis  and  Heliopolis.  His  Great  Pyr- 
amid Khufu  named  "  Horizon,"  for  into  it 
he  would  sink  when  his  earthly  course  was 
run,  even  as  the  sun  sinks  to  rest  below  the 
western  horizon. 

Herodotus,  who  visited  Egypt  in  the  fifth 
century  B.  c.,  is  authority  for  most  of  the 
legends  relating  to  Khufu.  He  attributes  to 
this  Pharaoh  a  most  cruel  and  vicious  dis- 
position. Hearing  of  a  magician  who  could 
restore  a  severed  head  to  its  body,  Khufu 
sent  for  the  man  and  offered  a  slave  for  ex- 
periment. The  wizard  objected  to  a  human 
subject,  but  called  for  a  goose  and  performed 
the  miracle,  tradition  says,  to  the  satisfaction 
of  monarch  and  multitude. 

The  historian  declares  that  Khufu  locked 
up  the  temples  and  forbade  all  sacrifices  to 
the  gods,  in  order  that  he  might  expend  their 
revenue  and  appropriate  the  work  of  their 
attendants  upon  his  own  monument.  Khufu 
was  said  to  have  forced  the  labour  of  100,000 
men  for  twenty  years  in  the  building  of  his 
pyramid-tomb,  exclusive  of  the  ten  years 
spent  in  constructing  from  river  to  pyramid 
site  the  stone  causeway  up  which  the  huge 
blocks  weighing  tons  were  hauled  by  mere 
man  power.  These  enormous  slabs  were  set 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       55 

side  by  side  in  long  rows,  their  hundred  feet 
of  seams,  not  over  one  five-hundredths  of  an 
inch  in  width,  being  then  filled  in  with  cement 
-  the  whole  evidencing  a  mechanical  skill  in 
the  cutting  and  polishing  of  edges  and  sur- 
faces not  exceeded  by  the  present  day  opti- 
cian, but  with  this  difference  —  the  ancient 
wrorked  in  acres  —  in  inches,  the  modern.  It 
was  charged  against  Khufu  and  Khafre,  the 
builders  of  the  two  Great  Pyramids,  that  the 
construction  of  their  sepulchres  had  retarded 
the  life  of  the  nation  by  more  than  a  century. 

Surely  the  monarch  was  mad,  the  men 
maniacs  who  undertook  such  superhuman 
tasks.  Long  the  mystery  remained  unsolved, 
until  the  reading  of  their  hieroglyphics  finally 
revealed  the  reason  of  these  vast  piles.  The 
nation  was  driven  by  a  superstitious  fear  of 
future  extinction,  possessed  by  a  nightmare 
of  annihilation;  thus  impelled,  the  race  spent 
its  life  constructing  its  tomb.  Even  so,  it  is 
incredible  that  one  man,  albeit  a  god-king, 
could  compel  the  labour  of  millions  to  the 
selfish  purpose  of  securing  immortality  for 
his  single  soul. 

The  small  ivory  statuette  of  Khufu,  found 
at  Abydos,  reveals  to  history  the  forceful 
features  of  this  Pharaoh  who  bestrode  his  age 
like  a  colossus.  Dr.  Flinders  Petrie  remarks 


56       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

the  "  enormous  driving  power  of  the  man," 
adding,  "  There  is  no  face  quite  parallel  to 
this  in  all  the  portraits  we  know,  Egyptian, 
Greek,  Roman  or  modern." 

The  costume  and  attitude  of  this  statuette 
illustrate  the  official  dress  and  pose  of  Egyp- 
tian royalty  from  the  time  of  Khufu  down  to 
the  very  days  of  the  Ptolemies  and  their  Ro- 
man successors;  thus  early  had  these  features 
of  art  become  stereotyped. 

Their  general  belief  in  immortality  proves 
that  it  was  no  new  doctrine,  but  a  faith  whose 
credence  had  grown  with  the  centuries.  De- 
spite the  perversion  to  which  they  put  it,  to 
the  Egyptians  belong  the  gratitude  of  the  ages 
for  the  idea  of  immortality. 

Politically  the  Pyramid  is  the  earliest  evi- 
dence known  of  a  union  among  the  petty 
tribes  of  primeval  ages  into  a  nation  thor- 
oughly organized  under  a  strong  head.  By 
what  processes  these  people  arrived  at  this 
high  stage  of  development  earth's  annals  do 
not  disclose.  The  nation  jumps  full-armed 
upon  the  world-stage  into  the  earliest  lime- 
light of  history. 

The  Great  Pyramid  originally  was  sur- 
rounded by  a  wide  pavement,  with  mortuary 
chapel  on  the  east  front,  both  now  destroyed. 
Khufu's  royal  residence  was  probably  on  the 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       57 

south.  The  three  small  pyramids  to  the  east, 
in  line  with  the  parent  pile,  were  the  tombs 
of  members  of  the  royal  family. 

Khafre  (Khephren),  who  came  to  the 
throne  eight  years  later,  was  the  builder  of 
the  Second  Pyramid,  the  lower  layer  of  which 
is  of  the  more  costly  granite  of  the  first  Cat- 
aract; otherwise  the  monument  is  smaller  and 
of  far  inferior  workmanship.  The  remains  of 
its  causeway  leading  to  the  edge  of  the  pla- 
teau still  exist,  also  this  royal  road's  splendid 
granite  Gateway  —  long  erroneously  named 
"  The  Temple  of  the  Sphinx." 

The  nice  measurement  requisite  for  the 
building  of  the  Pyramids,  and  the  fine  fitting 
of  faces  to  the  points  of  the  compass,  de- 
manded a  proficiency  of  geometrical  skill,  the 
development  of  which  the  Greeks  attributed 
to  the  necessity  the  Egyptian  was  under  each 
year  to  re-survey  his  field  after  the  oblitera- 
tion of  landmarks  by  the  annual  inundation 
of  the  Nile. 

"  Ting-a-ling-a-ling,"  called  B.  "  Din- 
ner's ready,"  and  as  I  turned  from  the  pan- 
orama of  sand  and  sky,  there  on  the  apex 
of  the  Pyramid  the  Arabs  were  serving  hot 
coffee,  made  by  the  water  carrier  while  we 
drew  breath,  and  very  acceptable  it  was  after 
our  fatiguing  exertions. 


58       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

The  Professor,  instead  of  enjoying  the 
wonderful  view,  took  out  his  Baedeker  with 
its  list  of  Arabic  nouns,  lined  up  the  natives 
before  him,  and  gave  out  words  for  them  to 
translate,  by  word  or  sign.  Strange  to  say, 
they  all  knew  their  own  language  and  the 
Professor  was  not  only  delighted  with  them, 
but  pleased  with  his  own  pronunciation  as 
well. 

One  of  the  men  said  he  had  four  wives  who 
were  always  quarrelling.  Every  now  and 
then  he  had  to  beat  them  all  around  to  keep 
the  peace;  but  the  last  wife  was  as  "young 
and  strong  as  a  bull,"  so  that  he  had  to  get 
his  son,  a  lad  of  twelve,  to  hold  her  by  the 
feet  whenever  he  chastised  her.  The  Moham- 
medan is  allowed  four  wives,  but  by  a  special 
dispensation  his  harem  may  number  eleven. 
The  Copts  pride  themselves  on  being  Chris- 
tian, and  have  but  one. 

Refreshed,  we  now  walked  about  on  the 
lofty  platform  which  was  over  thirty  feet 
square.  The  view  from  the  summit  is  most 
unique.  At  our  feet  to  the  southwest  were 
grouped  five  smaller  pyramids,  and  just  be- 
low us  on  the  southeast  lay  the  crouching 
Sphinx  with  head  raised,  awaiting  the  day 
of  awakening.  Beyond,  on  either  side,  was 
a  picture  of  life  and  death,  fertility  and  des- 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       59 

olation;  on  the  west,  dancing  with  fiery  heat, 
undulated  the  Libyan  Desert,  a  dreary  waste, 
along  the  confines  of  which  to  the  south  of 
us,  dotted  here  and  there,  stood  the  sentinel 
pyramids  —  masses  of  rock  adding  their 
brown  and  yellow  note  to  the  picture  of  des- 
olation. 

In  vivid  contrast  lay  on  the  east  the  ver- 
dant valley  of  the  Nile  with  fields  of  waving 
cane  and  tall  palms  interlacing  above  the 
mud  huts  of  the  fellaheen.  Northeast  on  the 
opposite  bank  of  the  river  at  the  end  of  the 
long  straight  road  of  lebbek  trees  was  the 
great  city  of  Cairo,  covering  an  area  of 
eleven  square  miles,  a  mass  of  stone  and 
stucco,  clustered  domes  and  myriad  minarets 
showing  above  crumbling  walls  and  lofty 
gateways.  From  the  limestone  ridge  just 
south  of  the  metropolis  the  Citadel  boldly 
fronted  us  —  embattled  walls  of  gray  ma- 
sonry encircling  the  grim  fortress,  and  the 
splendid  Alabaster  Mosque  of  Mohammed 
Ali,  its  pale  yellow  dome  and  tapering  min- 
arets piercing  the  sky.  Still  farther  south 
and  just  above  the  fortress  rose  the  frowning 
Mokattam  cliffs  of  deep  reddish  brown,  six 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  height,  keeping 
guard  over  city  and  Citadel  nestling  at  their 
feet. 


60       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

After  we  had  started  up  the  Pyramid  two 
French  women  ambled  up  on  donkeys,  and, 
after  much  chattering,  began  the  ascent. 
Painted  and  powdered,  with  fluffy  silk  petti- 
coats and  ostrich  plumes  nodding  in  the 
breeze,  they  tripped  along  the  path,  their 
high  French  heels  clicking  on  the  stones  as 
they  walked.  One  persevered  to  the  top,  but 
the  other,  more  timid,  stopped  half  way  up, 
and  insisted  on  returning.  The  descent,  how- 
ever, is  much  more  formidable.  The  path  was 
so  precipitous,  that  the  lady  became  paralyzed 
with  fear.  Two  Arabs  had  to  take  hold  of  her 
arms,  and  two  her  feet,  and  thus  carry  her 
down. 

When  we  were  ready  to  descend  our  Arabs 
again  offered  their  turban-bands,  protesting 
at  the  same  time  that  they  would  surely  take 
cold,  —  intimating,  of  course,  that  they  de- 
served an  extra  fee.  I  had  one  end  of  the 
long  white  scarf  tied  about  my  waist,  while 
the  other  end  was  held  firmly  by  a  native 
above  to  keep  me  from  falling;  two  of  my 
helpers  stood  below  ready  to  catch  me  and 
brace  me  up  by  pushing  against  my  shoulders 
as  I  jumped  down.  The  man  in  the  rear  was 
always  very  strong.  When  B.,  who  is  rather 
plump,  slipped  once  or  twice,  screaming  vo- 
ciferously, her  rear  guard  jerked  her  so  sharply 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       61 

that  for  a  few  moments  she  dangled  in  mid- 
air, her  waist  nearly  cut  in  two.  We  had  to 
rest  fully  as  often  on  the  way  down,  for  our 
legs  gave  out  with  so  much  jumping.  The 
Professor,  who  is  thin  as  a  reed,  trembled  like 
a  leaf.  Shod  in  white  canvas,  his  feet  were 
nearly  blistered  from  the  vigorous  manner  in 
which  his  Arabs  jumped  him  down,  causing 
him  to  rebound  like  a  rubber  ball  at  every 
leap. 

The  first  French  woman  now  passed  us, 
being  vigorously  assisted  on  her  way  up,  her 
Paris  hat  cocked  over  one  ear,  her  silk  petti- 
coat in  tatters,  and  the  leather  of  her  delicate 
kid  shoes  all  scarred  and  hanging  in  shreds. 

We  were  just  an  hour  and  a  half  in  ma- 
king the  trip  up  and  back.  All  of  a-tremble, 
we  came  limping  up  to  the  rest  of  the  party, 
who  were  jeeringly  sympathetic;  B.  was  so 
weak  that  if  a  feather  had  struck  her  back 
of  the  knees,  she  would  have  gone  down  like 
a  nine-pin!  For  several  days  it  was  exquisite 
agony  to  rise  or  sit,  but  one  ascends  a  pyra- 
mid but  once  in  a  lifetime! 

With  many  "Oh's!"  and  "Ah's!"  and 
some  misgivings  the  party  now  climbed  into 
the  gay  saddles  on  the  backs  of  the  kneeling 
camels,  and  holding  tightly  to  the  pommels, 
were  jerked  up  into  space  and  carried  rock- 


62       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

ing  over  the  sandy  way  three  hundred  and 
fifty  yards  to  the  southeast  to  interview  the 
Sphinx  which  looms  grandly  up  before  one 
even  from  that  high  vantage-point. 

The  Sphinx  faces  the  east;  it  is  hewn  out 
of  a  ridge  of  solid  rock,  to  which  slabs  of 
limestone  have  been  added  to  round  out  its 
form.  The  body  extends  along  this  ridge  a 
hundred  and  fifty  feet;  the  head  is  thirty  feet 
high,  the  paws  fifty  feet  long,  and  the  monu- 
ment altogether  seventy  feet  in  height.  The 
body  is  buried  in  sand,  but  a  pit  has  been  dug 
about  the  front  of  it,  round  the  edge  of  which 
we  rode  and  looked  across  at  the  monster  image 
lying  there  huge  and  imperturbable  —  the  rid- 
dle of  the  ages.  The  head  originally  bore  the 
royal  serpent.  The  eyebrows,  nose  and  rays 
of  the  head-dress  were  painted  red.  The  nose 
and  beard  have  been  broken  off  and  their 
fragments  strew  the  ground.  Between  the 
paws  was  discovered  an  open  temple,  in  the 
middle  of  which  lies  a  small  recumbent  lion 
facing  the  Sphinx.  Close  to  the  breast  is  an 
altar  and  the  memorial  stone  of  Thutmose 
IV,  on  which  he  is  seen  sacrificing  to  the  Sun- 
god  Harmakhis,  who  is  represented  as  a 
sphinx.  The  inscription  relates  that  the  god 
appeared  one  day  to  the  sleeping  prince, 
promising  the  youth  the  crown  of  Egypt  if 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       63 

the  latter  would  "  free  him  from  the  dust  of 
the  desert  sand  that  encumbered  him."  This 
Thutmose  did,  B.  c.  1533  —  about  the  time 
that  Moses  was  rescued  from  the  bulrushes 
by  Pharaoh's  daughter.  The  record  further 
indicates  that  Thutmose  IV  regarded  Khafre 
as  the  builder  of  the  Sphinx. 

In  the  Gizeh  Museum  at  Cairo  is  a  stela 
or  slab  which  was  found  at  one  of  the  Pyra- 
mids near  the  Sphinx  and  which  bears  an 
engraving  of  the  great  image  there  mentioned 
as  being  in  existence  in  the  days  of  Khufu 
and  Khafre,  B.  c.  2900.  This  inscription 
proves  the  origin  of  the  Sphinx  to  be  undoubt- 
edly prehistoric.  Archaeologists  are  yet  unde- 
cided as  to  whether  or  not  Khafre  was  the 
architect.  The  many  sphinxes  in  Egypt  were 
usually  portraits  of  the  Pharaohs  —  the  lion's 
body  symbolizing  imperial  power. 

The  Great  Sphinx  is  the  only  isolated  one 
known  in  Egypt;  they  are  usually  in  pairs 
or  in  long  avenues  leading  to  temples. 
Those  of  the  Pharaonic  period  are  almost  in- 
variably masculine,  with  either  a  man's  or  a 
ram's  head. 

M.  J.  de  Rouge  quotes  an  inscription  at 
Edfu  to  the  effect  that  the  Sphinx  was  a 
representation  of  Horus,  the  power  of  good, 
who  assumed  the  form  of  a  human-headed 


64       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

lion  in  order  to  vanquish  Set,  the  power  of 
darkness  or  evil.  In  this  shape  Horus  was 
also  revered  in  the  Nome  Leontopolites. 

The  Khufu  stela  calls  the  Sphinx  "  Horus- 
on-the-Horizon."  The  image,  says  Miss 
Amelia  B.  Edwards,  faces  east  in  order  to 
greet  the  return  of  his  father  Osiris  from  the 
underworld.  Egyptologists  now  consider  that 
this  Sphinx  represents  Re-Harmakhis,  god 
of  the  rising  sun,  and  that  it  has  the  features 
of  whatever  king  of  the  ancient  empire 
erected  it,  and  who,  being  the  son  of  a  god, 
regarded  himself  the  earthly  representative 
of  Harmakhis. 

The  monarch  who  imagined  the  Sphinx 
thought  in  mountains,  calculated  in  cosmic 
cycles;  disdaining  the  petty  art  of  mortals 
he  reshaped  the  land,  reformed  the  hills. 
Like  another  Yawah  the  mighty  Khafre  laid 
bare  a  rib  from  earth's  rocky  ridges,  fash- 
ioned and  formed  it  afresh  into  this  new 
strange  shape,  half  beast,  half  man.  The 
vast  animal  length  extends  couchant,  close- 
lying  on  earth's  large  side,  not  wholly  sep- 
arate from  her  unconscious  mass,  its  brute 
form  dominated  and  subdued  by  the  majestic 
human  head.  Into  the  dead  stone  the  de- 
signer breathed  a  marvellous  spirit;  into  the 
dull  ear  whispered  a  wondrous  word  —  some 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       65 

secret  of  a  far-off  time  to  come,  some  hint  of 
higher  things.  Mortality  perplexed  and  puz- 
zled still  stands  and  listens  beside  the  mon- 
strous image,  waiting  for  some  murmur  of 
the  message  and  the  hour. 

High  above  mortal  discord  and  pain,  aloof, 
serene,  with  the  large  patience  of  prophetic 
vision,  undoubting,  unhasting,  the  silent 
Sphinx  lifts  his  august  head,  gazes  out  above 
and  beyond  earth's  little  circle,  eastward  to 
infinity's  larger  horizon,  waiting  for  the 
dawning  of  an  endless  day,  watching  for  the 
appearing  of  the  deathless  Osiris,  looking  for 
the  resurrection  of  the  human  soul  —  the  prom- 
ised immortality. 

Not  for  ever  will  the  Sphinx  gaze  upon 
interminable  wastes  of  sand.  Now  at  last 
will  the  desert  be  made  to  bloom  as  a  garden, 
to  blossom  like  the  rose.  This  miracle  is 
being  wrought  by  an  intelligent  Arab  of 
Cairo,  who  is  sinking  wells  and  installing 
irrigating  pumps  at  the  very  foot  of  Pyra- 
mid and  Sphinx. 

We  rode  on  a  few  yards  to  the  Granite 
Temple,  a  building  now  more  correctly 
known  as  the  Royal  Gate  to  causeway  and 
Pyramid  court.  It  is  built  of  translucent  ala- 
baster and  red  granite  monoliths  of  hardest 
stone  highly  polished.  The  slabs  are  sixteen 


66       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

feet  long  and  four  square;  they  are  fitted  so 
closely  and  without  the  aid  of  mortar  that  it 
is  impossible  to  insert  even  the  blade  of  a  pen- 
knife between  them.  This  is  the  oldest  build- 
ing extant  of  the  Egyptian  empire ;  absolutely 
bare  of  decoration,  it  is  nevertheless  imposing 
by  reason  of  its  mass  and  simplicity.  A  well 
in  the  court-yard  yielded  up  seven  black  diorite 
statues  of  Khafre,  builder  of  the  second  Pyr- 
amid. In  the  Cairo  Museum  is  an  unusually 
fine  seated  statue  of  the  same  king,  also  in 
diorite;  its  wonderful  vivacity  of  expression 
attests  the  skill  attained  by  ancient  sculptors 
of  this  hard  stone. 

Miss  Shinn,  being  timid,  was  one  of  the 
last  to  remount  and  by  mistake  got  on  the 
wrong  camel.  Thereupon  ensued  a  fierce  al- 
tercation between  the  respective  camel-drivers, 
some  half  dozen  mixing  in  the  fray;  the  men 
finally  had  to  be  separated,  but  not  before  they 
had  covered  themselves  with  blood.  We  were 
late  in  reaching  Cairo  and  were  thankful  for 
the  closed  carriage  which  protected  us  from 
the  heavy  rain  then  falling;  yet  "in  Egypt 
it  never  rains! " 


Cairo, 
Friday,  December  2nd. 

JUST  now  the  Faithful  are  observing  the 
annual  fast  of  Ramadan,  which  lasts  a  moon, 
the  Moslem  calendar  counting  thirteen  months 
to  the  year.  During  the  four  weeks  every 
good  Mohammedan  abstains  from  food  from 
sunrise  till  sunset,  not  a  drop  of  water  even 
passing  his  lips.  Indeed  the  code  admon- 
ishes the  worshipper  not  to  delay  beginning 
his  fast  until  sunrise,  but  to  refrain  from 
food  "  from  the  moment  there  is  sufficient 
light  to  distinguish  a  black  thread  from  a 
white :  "  which  moment  is  signalized  by  the 
firing  of  a  gun  from  the  Citadel.  This  morn- 
ing the  gun  boomed  an  hour  and  three  min- 
utes before  dawn  —  a  long  fast  and  thirst 
for  a  man  in  active  service  in  such  a  hot  cli- 
mate. The  Moslem  makes  up  for  it  after  sun- 
set, however,  by  gorging  himself  the  livelong 
night.  The  ordinance  is  so  generally  observed, 
that  when  Ramadan  falls  in  summer  the  mor- 
tality is  great. 

For   the    Christian's    "God    willing "    the 

67 


68       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

Moslem  substitutes,  "  If  Allah  spare  my 
life ! "  and  even  the  ancient  Egyptian  deliv- 
ered himself  in  like  phrase:  "  If  Ammon 
spare  my  life! " 

In  Egypt  there  are  three  Sabbaths;  Fri- 
day for  the  Mohammedan;  Saturday  for  the 
Jew;  and  Sunday  for  the  Christian.  This 
being  Friday,  every  other  tourist  in  Cairo, 
like  ourselves,  drove  to  the  plaza  to  see  the 
Khedive  on  his  weekly  visit  to  the  mosque. 
All  the  native  population  were  on  foot,  bound 
for  the  same  place.  Men  in  long  flowing 
robes  of  white  or  deep  blue,  some  with  red 
tarbushes,  some  with  white  turbans,  passed 
along  the  narrow  way  that  led  down  into  a 
dilapidated  quarter  of  Old  Cairo,  the  street 
being  lined  temporarily  with  red  poles  from 
which  fluttered  triangular  banners  of  crim- 
son cloth.  Women  crouched  on  every  roof 
observing  the  crowd,  but  sadly  and  from 
afar,  for  religion  was  not  for  them.  Tiny 
naked  children  rode  astride  a  shoulder  of 
their  mother,  their  little  hands  resting  on  her 
head.  The  women  wore  the  usual  black  veil, 
but  the  only  feature  really  hidden  by  the 
drapery  was  the  mouth  —  which  every  Egyp- 
tian woman  is  most  careful  to  conceal.  Some 
of  the  veils  were  heavy  with  silver  coin,  their 
owner's  fortune. 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       69 

Within  a  block  of  the  plaza  men  were  sit- 
ting on  straw  mats  washing  hands  and  feet 
with  water  from  small  earthen  jugs  prepara- 
tory to  the  service.  Under  an  improvised 
canopy  we  found  seats,  even  arm-chairs,  at 
a  shilling  apiece,  reserved  for  foreign  visitors. 
Here  we  had  nearly  an  hour  to  wait  before  his 
Majesty  appeared.  The  small  hillocks  near 
were  crowned  by  mud  huts,  of  which  the  mul- 
titude quickly  took  possession  —  a  shifting 
mass  of  blue,  white  and  red.  The  small  Egyp- 
tian police  with  short  whips  undertook  to  keep 
the  natives  back,  repeatedly  driving  them 
away,  only  to  have  them  close  in  again  the 
moment  the  officer's  back  was  turned. 

We  could  look  across  the  plaza  into  the 
mosque  and  see  the  turbaned  heads  bowing, 
and  the  figures  continually  rising  and  pros- 
trating themselves  on  the  marble  floor.  A 
regiment  of  cavalry  on  stocky  Arabian  steeds 
of  dappled  gray  rode  up  on  the  trot  and 
lined  two  sides  of  the  square.  Then  came  the 
high  officials  of  state  driving  up  in  splendid 
carriages.  The  Turkish  Ambassador  was 
especially  magnificent.  The  two  runners  of 
Oriental  custom  in  full  white  muslin  knee- 
breeches  were  most  picturesque;  carrying 
erect  long  wands  held  close  to  the  body,  they 
ran  before  the  minister's  coach  to  clear  the 


70       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

way.  Their  red  zouave  jackets  were  a  mass 
of  gold  embroidery,  and  the  black  silk  tassels 
two  feet  long  dangled  wildly  from  their  fezes 
as  they  ran,  while  their  bouffant  sleeves  of 
white  muslin  swelled  in  the  breeze  like  sails. 

A  smart  young  English  officer  spent  a 
busy  half  hour  trying  to  make  his  crooked 
line  of  native  infantry  toe  the  mark,  but 
finally  gave  it  up  as  hopeless. 

A  clatter  of  hoofs  and  clanking  of  sabres 
announced  the  Khedive!  His  escort  was 
mounted  on  superb  brown  Syrian  horses  ex- 
cellently drilled.  The  Prince,  a  stout  gentle- 
man with  fair  skin  and  reddish  moustache, 
was  in  European  costume  except  for  his  tar- 
bush.  He  repeatedly  raised  his  hand  to  his 
head  in  military  salute,  but  no  answering 
shout  came  from  all  that  mass  of  subjects. 
As  he  entered  the  mosque  there  was  a  salvo 
of  twenty-one  guns.  .  The  cavalry  now  exe- 
cuted some  intricate  manoeuvres,  wheeling  in 
fine  style.  The  inevitable  bead-boys  were  out 
in  full  force,  first  one  and  then  another  came 
by,  holding  out  tempting  strings,  their  arms 
aglitter  with  blue,  white,  green  and  gold 
glass  and  iridescent  shells. 

At  the  close  of  a  short  half  hour  the  Khe- 
dive reappeared  and  again  there  was  a  can- 
nonade of  twenty-one  guns.  He  stepped  into 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       71 

his  carriage  and  was  driven  quickly  away,  his 
guard  of  cavalry  swinging  into  line  after  him 
at  a  brisk  pace.  The  police  tried  to  maintain 
their  line  until  the  other  carriages  also  had 
gone,  but  the  people  no  longer  feared  them 
and  poured  into  the  Plaza  like  a  flood.  We 
drove  through  this  mass  of  strange  humanity 
—  dusky,  swarthy  faces  of  every  shade  of 
brown  —  Syrians,  Armenians,  Nubians,  and 
Ethiopians  mingling  with  Egyptians,  Arabs, 
Copts  and  Turks.  This  pageant  is,  however, 
as  nothing  compared  to  that  of  the  Salemlik, 
or  going  to  Mosque  of  the  Sultan  of  Turkey, 
who  is  so  fearful  for  his  life  that  whenever 
he  goes  abroad  he  requires  his  Grand  Viziers 
to  run  afoot  beside  his  carriage,  and  has 
never  less  than  a  regiment  of  troops  to  guard 
his  progress. 

On  the  way  we  passed  near  the  little  island 
of  Rhoda  in  the  middle  of  the  Nile.  A  half 
hour  sufficed  to  cross  by  ferry,  walk  in  the 
picturesque  old  garden,  and  inspect  the  Ni- 
lometer,  whose  marble  column  erected  in  the 
thirteenth  century,  still  measures  the  ebb  and 
flow  of  the  Nile. 

On  this  island,  according  to  Mr.  Jeremiah 
Lynch,  the  well-known  Egyptologist,  stood 
the  palace  of  Pharaoh's  favourite  daughter. 
She  was  a  widowed  queen  before  she  was  a 


72       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

wife,  her  husband,  the  King  of  the  Hittites, 
to  whom  she  had  been  married  by  proxy, 
having  died  while  she  was  yet  journeying 
toward  his  realm.  Being  virgin,  she  would 
have  been  debarred  in  the  hereafter  from  the 
joys  of  Paradise,  according  to  the  tenets  of 
the  Egyptian  religion.  Only  a  king  was 
eligible  to  mate  with  the  daughter  of  a  Pha- 
raoh; but  kings  were  as  scarce  in  ancient 
Egypt  as  in  modern  Europe.  In  such  di- 
lemmas it  was  customary  for  a  monarch  to 
wed  his  own  daughter;  this  Ramses  did, 
making  her  consort  and  queen,  and  bestowing 
upon  her  a  palace  on  the  Nile  here  on  this 
island  of  Rhoda.  This  was  the  favourite 
daughter  of  the  great  Ramses  —  she  who, 
according  to  hieroglyphics  recently  discov- 
ered, rescued  from  his  floating  basket  of  bul- 
rushes, as  it  drifted  near  her  home,  the  infant 
Moses,  destined  later  to  deliver  his  people 
from  the  bondage  of  Egypt. 

The  Zikrs  of  the  Dervishes  take  place 
every  Friday  afternoon.  We  went  first  to 
see  the  Howling  Dervishes.  The  perform- 
ance was  held  in  an  enclosed  garden  on  a 
platform  thirty  feet  square,  shaded  by  tall 
trees,  while  all  the  Europeans  in  Cairo - 
each  party  with  its  dragoman  —  sat  in  chairs 
round  about.  The  Zikr  is  supposed  to  be 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       73 

a  religious  exercise,  the  devotees  working 
themselves  into  an  ecstatic  frenzy  by  repeat- 
ing in  unison  the  name  of  Allah,  but  the  en- 
trance fee  and  the  eagerness  for  a  large  audi- 
ence gave  it  a  decided  commercial  aspect. 
The  Dervishes,  in  trailing  gray  robes,  re- 
moved their  turbans  and  allowed  their  long 
straggling  locks  to  fall  about  their  shoulders 
as  they  seated  themselves  in  a  row  on  the 
floor  and  began  to  sway  backward  and  for- 
ward, bowing  low  to  the  earth  at  each  cry 
of  "Allah!  Allah!"  This  rhythmic  motion 
gained  in  impetus  and  the  shouting  grew 
louder  and  louder,  until  the  Dervishes 
stopped  short  exhausted,  and  the  "  Allah " 
sank  to  a  sigh,  "  Hu!  Hu!  " 

A  no  less  fanatical  scene  is  enacted  in  the 
mosque  of  El  Akbar  by  the  Dancing  Der- 
vishes. Men  and  boys  in  long  white  gowns, 
which  sweep  the  floor  when  they  walk  but 
stand  out  conically  as  they  turn  in  the  dance, 
were  engaged  in  twirling  around  in  their  bare 
feet,  keeping  as  closely  as  possible  to  one  spot. 
Their  hair  and  beards  were  long  and  they 
wore  high  fezes  of  gray  felt.  They  extended 
their  arms  on  either  side,  the  right  hand  up- 
ward toward  heaven,  the  left  toward  earth, 
their  heads  rolling  in  sympathy  with  the 
movement  of  their  bodies.  A  diabolic  tooting 


74       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

of  fifes  and  beating  of  drums  added  to  the 
weirdness  of  the  scene.  A  boy  of  twelve  — 
small  for  his  age  —  twirled  rapidly  thus  for 
forty-five  minutes,  and  when  we  left,  dis- 
gusted with  such  antics,  he  was  still  spinning 
like  a  top.  And  this  they  called  religion! 


Cairo, 

Saturday,  December  3rd. 
TO-DAY  we  visited  the  great  University 
Mosque.  Students  from  Arabia,  Persia,  and 
all  the  Moslem  world  come  here  to  study  the 
Koran.  The  course  is  from  four  to  six  years. 
No  native  women  are  allowed  within  the 
mosque,  but  exception  is  made  in  favour  of 
foreigners.  A  tall,  stout  warden,  stick  in 
hand,  saw  to  it  that  we  had  slippers  tied  over 
our  shoes  before  we  were  permitted  to  put 
foot  even  in  the  vestibule.  The  latter  opened 
on  a  large  quadrangular  court  entirely  sur- 
rounded by  an  arcade,  under  which  were 
groups  of  students  sitting  cross-legged  on  the 
pavement  in  circles  about  their  teachers,  re- 
ceiving instruction  or  reciting  chapters  from 
Koran.  As  they  recited  they  swayed  back 
and  forth  to  emphasize  the  rhythm  and  assist 
their  memory.  Here  and  there  isolated  fig- 
ures were  studying  aloud,  rocking  themselves 
to  the  cadence  of,  the  passages.  It  was  a 
perfect  bedlam.  Not  only  the  court  but  the 
whole  interior  of  the  mosque  was  given  over 

75 


76       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

to  these  groups  of  students.  The  attendants 
were  of  all  ages,  from  boys  of  six  to  gray- 
haired  men  of  sixty.  The  youths  are  left  here 
by  their  parents  who  send  them  presents  of 
food  from  time  to  time.  Each  student  has  a 
locker,  a  tiny  cupboard  a  foot  and  a  half 
square,  in  which  to  bestow  his  possessions. 
The  scholars  sleep  above  the  mosque,  and  the 
government  allows  each  pupil  three  loaves  of 
brown  bread  a  day.  We  were  cautioned  not 
to  indulge  in  levity  or  ridicule,  for  the  fanat- 
icism of  the  Mohammedans  causes  them  to 
take  offence  easily. 

The  mosque  itself  is  a  forest  of  columns, 
many  connected  by  double  arches  one  above 
the  other,  the  pillars  being  of  horizontal  courses 
of  red  and  white  stone.  The  great  Liwan,  or 
Hall  of  Instruction,  has  a  hundred  and  forty 
columns  and  occupies  an  area  about  equal  to 
that  of  four  city  blocks;  it  is  said  to  accom- 
modate four  thousand  scholars.  The  floor  is 
covered  with  matting,  and  one  had  to  be  care- 
ful where  he  stepped  lest  he  stumble  over 
some  shapeless  mass  of  black  rags,  which 
would  suddenly  become  animate  and  prove  to 
be  a  student  taking  a  siesta. 

We  paused  beside  several  groups.  Some 
were  writing  texts  on  metal  tablets.  One 
elderly  class  was  being  instructed  by  a  bright 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       77 

young  teacher  of  twenty-five.  A  white- 
haired  pupil  ventured  most  deferentially  to 
ask  a  question.  The  teacher,  irritated  at  the 
interruption,  turned  upon  him  fiercely,  and 
in  most  strident  tone  explained  the  difficulty. 
The  Koran  is  in  Arabic.  When  a  pupil  can 
recite  the  whole  text  from  memory  he  may 
become  a  teacher;  that  is  the  sum  of  a  Mo- 
hammedan's learning. 

Although  all  are  followers  of  the  Prophet, 
the  students  come  from  many  lands,  and  are 
of  many  races,  some  of  which  are  traditional 
enemies.  So  intense  is  this  hatred  that  the 
more  quarrelsome  tribes,  the  Syrians  in  par- 
ticular, have  to  be  housed  apart  in  separate 
rooms.  Their  flashing  black  eyes  and  sensi- 
tive features  betoken  a  temper  easily  aroused. 

Returning,  we  noticed  a  sign,  "  Church 
Missionary  Society,"  and  as  it  was  the  noon 
hour  we  stopped  to  visit  the  school.  The  in- 
stitution is  under  the  care  of  the  Presbyterian 
Mission,  and  has  in  attendance  one  hundred 
and  fifty  boys.  Most  of  the  converts  are  from 
the  Coptic  church,  an  early  form  of  Christian- 
ity. The  Copts  are  eager  to  learn  enough  of 
the  three  R's  to  obtain  a  government  position, 
or  to  act  as  dragomans.  The  Jews,  who  do 
not  care  for  such  emoluments,  study  to  be- 
come merchants.  Because  Bible  stories  are 


78       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

taught  in  conjunction  with  grammar  and 
arithmetic,  the  Mohammedan  will  not  allow 
his  children  to  attend.  The  Dean  of  the  An- 
glican Church  in  Cairo  told  us  that  in  two 
years  he  had  had  but  one  Mohammedan  con- 
vert —  and  she  a  poor  little  girl  who  was 
regarded  as  an  outcast. 

The  principal,  an  earnest,  intelligent  man, 
showed  us  over  the  building,  the  little  schol- 
ars giving  the  military  salute  as  we  passed. 
The  rooms  were  furnished  with  desks,  black- 
boards, and  maps.  The  boys  proudly  pointed 
to  Washington  and  Chicago.  The  principal 
then  read  us  a  letter  he  had  received  from  an 
absent  pupil;  it  was  written  in  English,  and 
closed,  "  Giving  you  my  love  and  much  sa- 
laams ! " 

The  teachers  are  Armenians,  and  one  of 
them,  Korn  Gob  Gob,  had  had  a  Turkish 
rug-shop  in  Atlantic  City,  but  assured  us  that 
he  had  not  cheated  the  Americans  much! 
Some  of  the  tiniest  boys  read  words  of  three 
letters  to  us  in  the  sweetest  voices,  and  their 
bright,  eager  faces  beamed  with  delight  at 
our  praise. 

As  we  drive  along  the  narrow,  crowded 
streets  our  driver  brings  down  his  whip  in 
the  old  Egyptian  fashion  on  the  backs  of  the 
passers-by  who  get  in  his  way.  The  police 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       79 

also  use  their  canes  freely,  and  some  of  their 
assistants  —  possibly  self-appointed  —  enjoy 
showing  their  authority  by  the  use  of  the 
whip.  These  officers  are  autocrats.  They  can 
hold  up  a  public  carriage  and  inspect  its  wheels. 
If  the  vehicle  has  not  been  properly  cleaned 
of  mud  they  can  order  it  off  the  street.  It  is 
well  there  is  some  one  at  hand  of  whom  the 
natives  have  a  wholesome  fear. 

At  noon  more  bundles  of  rags  —  long, 
swathed,  mummy-like  figures  —  were  to  be 
seen  strewn  along  the  sidewalks  or  under  the 
trees.  The  flies  are  so  bad  and  the  sun  so 
bright  that  when  the  workman  lies  down  for 
his  mid-day  siesta,  he  envelops  his  head  com- 
pletely in  his  black  outer  robe,  and  might 
easily  be  taken  for  a  corpse. 

At  the  doors  of  shops  and  palaces  attend- 
ants are  in  waiting.  They  are  allowed  chairs, 
which  they  never  use  to  sit  in  but  to  squat 
in  —  this  they  do  literally,  their  knees  up  to 
their  chins,  their  slippers  on  the  ground  beside 
them. 

This  evening  after  dinner  Selim  took  us 
to  an  Egyptian  wedding  at  the  house  of  the 
bride's  father,  a  wealthy  merchant.  We 
women  were  invited  into  the  harem,  two  large 
rooms  packed  with  women  and  children  of 
all  ages,  who  sat  cross-legged  on  floor  and  di- 


80       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

vans  eating  sweets  and  peanuts.  They  were 
the  household  and  its  guests  assembled  to  wait 
for  the  groom  to  come  and  claim  his  bride. 

The  women  wore  brocaded  satins  of  every 
shade,  covered  with  spangles  of  silver  and 
gold.  For  jewels  they  had  immense  ear- 
rings, a  mass  of  diamonds,  and  heavy  cables 
of  gold  wound  several  times  around  the  neck 
with  a  huge  watch  pendant.  One  woman  de- 
lighted in  pink  cotton  gloves,  the  colour  of 
her  satin  gown,  and  over  them  displayed  a 
wealth  of  jewelled  rings.  Stays  were  evi- 
dently unknown  and  it  was  as  well,  since  the 
company  were  accustomed  to  sit  on  the  floor. 

Every  woman  had  as  a  covering  for  her 
face,  when  in  the  presence  of  the  opposite 
sex,  a  veil  or  scarf  of  black  or  white  net 
spangled  with  geometric  designs  in  gold  and 
silver  which  were  clamped  into  the  net,  its 
value  varying  with  the  weight  of  the  precious 
metal  used. 

A  dancing-girl  in  red  silk  and  diadem  of 
pendent  gold  coins  trod  a  measure  for  our 
benefit.  The  dance  consisted  for  the  most 
part  of  shuffling  the  feet  and  twitching  the 
body,  the  regular  "  danse  du  ventre,"  and 
seemed  to  delight  the  native  guests,  although 
we  found  it  very  distasteful.  The  music  was 
furnished  by  a  tambourine  and  drum  and  the 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       81 

singing  was  a  monotonous  nasal  chant.  At 
the  conclusion  of  the  performance  the  dancer, 
to  our  surprise,  passed  her  tambourine.  We 
hastily  fished  out  our  purses  and  were  about 
to  contribute,  when  the  host  interfered  and 
rebuked  her  sharply. 

Part  of  the  time  we  were  entertained  by 
three  bright  little  boys  from  nine  to  twelve 
years  of  age,  all  in  red  fezes  with  dancing 
tassels.  They  were  scholars  of  the  govern- 
ment school  and  spoke  English  well,  although 
with  the  slight  accent  of  their  Irish  school- 
master. One  volunteered  to  recite  for  us,  a 
piece  about  pussy-cats  quarrelling  over  a  rat. 
Another  pushed  him  aside,  saying,  "  Oh,  I 
can  speak  one  larger  than  that ! "  and  forth- 
with launched  upon  a  string  of  verses,  recited 
in  breathless  haste,  beginning: 

"  Brave  little  soldiers, 
Standing  at  attintion ! " 

Their  ambition  is  to  become  dragomans. 
They  are  bright  and  quick,  we  are  told,  until 
they  reach  the  age  of  sixteen,  and  have  to 
begin  to  work;  then  the  struggle  for  exist- 
ence is  so  severe  that  they  grow  dull  and 
sullen. 

After  waiting  seated  on  stiff  chairs  in  the 
middle  of  the  large  room,  gazed  at  by  curious 


82       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

feminine  eyes  from  nine  till  half  past  ten,  we 
grew  weary  and  inquired  of  our  passing  host 
—  the  only  man  present,  and  at  sight  of 
whom  the  visiting  ladies  held  up  their  silver 
veils  —  when  the  bride  would  appear.  He 
took  pity  on  us  and  led  the  way  into  a  small 
room  where  stood  the  little  bride  of  fourteen, 
short  and  stout,  her  face  plastered  white  with 
powder,  and  her  dark  eyes  made  unnaturally 
large  by  a  dose  of  belladonna.  She  wore  cor- 
sets which  seemed  to  make  her  rigid,  and  a 
lovely  pink  satin  gown  of  European  cut.  A 
crown  of  silver  rested  on  her  thick  jet  black 
tresses,  and  long  streamers  of  silver  tinsel 
fell  from  her  temples  to  her  feet.  The  dresser 
was  ablaze  with  pink  candles.  On  the  bed, 
curtained  in  pink  satin  with  a  coverlet  of  the 
same  rich  fabric,  lay  the  bride's  bundle  of 
clothing  tied  up  in  a  big  red  bandanna  ready 
for  her  departure,  which  was  momentarily 
expected. 

We  each  made  our  felicitations  to  the  little 
lady,  which  her  father  interpreted  to  her,  and 
were  then  conducted  without  to  a  large  tent 
where  the  boyish  groom  of  eighteen,  in  Eu- 
ropean costume  and  fez,  and  his  friends  were 
congregated,  drinking  coffee  and  listening  to 
three  hired  singers  chant  the  Koran  —  the 
invariable  Egyptian  amusement.  The  gen- 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       83 

tleman  shook  hands  with  us  and  offered  us 
coffee.  We  congratulated  him,  and  assured 
him  the  bride  was  charming.  These  festivi- 
ties had  lasted  a  week  and  this  was  the  closing 
night.  Presently  a  man  mounted  a  chair  and 
began  to  ask  the  groom  a  series  of  questions. 
The  best  man,  as  we  would  say,  then  rose 
and  toasted  the  young  bridegroom,  who  was 
now  led  to  meet  his  bride,  whom  he  would  see 
for  the  first  time,  to  conduct  her  to  his  home. 

During  the  fast  of  Ramadan  Selim  says 
there  is  no  marrying  or  giving  in  marriage, 
but  with  the  beginning  of  Bairam  the  sound 
of  the  bridal  timbrel  is  heard  in  the  land. 

Weddings  are  week-long  affairs.  The  first 
day  the  relatives  assemble  at  the  bride's  house, 
—  the  men  in  the  selamlik,  the  women  in  the 
harem.  After  the  groom  has  signed  the  con- 
tract, three  of  his  sponsors  bear  it  to  the  bride, 
a  eunuch  leading  the  way,  and  calling  aloud 
to  the  female  slaves,  "  Get  out  of  the  way, 
attend  to  Mohammedan  customs ! " 

Before  the  open  door  of  the  bride's  apart- 
ment hangs  a  heavy  curtain;  here  the  mes- 
sengers pause  and  cry:  "  Wilt  thou  have  this 
man  to  be  thy  wedded  husband?"  No  an- 
swer. 

A  second  time  the  question  is  put;  again 
there  is  no  response,  feminine  etiquette  de- 


84       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

manding  a  proper  pretence  of  shyness.  After 
this  second  longer  pause  the  interrogation  is 
made  for  the  third  and  last  time,  and  if  then 
there  is  no  reply  the  whole  affair  is  declared 
off.  The  usual  "  I  will,"  however,  is  gen- 
erally forthcoming  and  the  gentlemen  return 
rejoicing  to  conclude  the  contract. 

The  intermediate  days  are  devoted  to  the 
display  of  gifts  and  trousseau,  to  dinners  and 
dancing  in  which  the  bride,  being  in  retire- 
ment, has  no  part.  The  last  night  of  the 
seven  occurs  the  procession  of  the  bride,  invi- 
tations to  which  ceremony  are  the  most  cov- 
eted of  all.  Miss  Ellen  Chennell's  "Recol- 
lections of  an  Egyptian  Princess  by  her 
Governess "  describes  one  such  fete  in  the 
royal  harem,  the  bride  being  the  Princess 
Fatma,  daughter  of  the  Khedive. 

On  that  occasion  an  elaborate  dinner,  a  la 
franque,,  was  given  by  the  four  Princesses, 
wives  of  Khedive  Ismail.  The  company  then 
adjourned  to  a  large  salon  on  the  upper  floor, 
where  they  were  entertained  by  the  slow  Ori- 
ental dancing  of  five  or  six  female  slaves, 
with  flowing  tresses,  and  wearing  long  loose 
Turkish  trousers  of  pink  silk  gathered  at  the 
ankle;  the  somersault  concluding  each  move- 
ment being  most  modest. 

At  10  o'clock  the  doors  at  one  end  of  the 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       85 

salon  opened  and  two  long  lines  of  eunuchs 
bearing  candelabra  filed  in  and  stood  shoul- 
der to  shoulder  the  length  of  the  hall.  Pres- 
ently between  the  flaming  candles  came  the 
bride  decked  in  her  most  gorgeous  gown  and 
adorned  with  every  jewel  that  could  find 
place  on  her  person,  a  long  silver  veil  falling 
from  headdress  to  train.  A  eunuch  sup- 
ported her  on  each  side  to  help  carry  the 
weight  of  her  gown.  The  guests  stood  on 
stools  to  watch  her  progress,  but  the  glare 
of  the  many  candles  and  the  dazzle  of  clus- 
tered diamonds  made  it  impossible  for  them  to 
see  clearly.  The  farther  doors  to  the  throne- 
room  were  flung  open  and  the  guests  rushed 
toward  it,  but  only  those  nearest  were  able 
to  enter,  for  as  soon  as  the  bride  had  passed 
within  the  doors  were  quickly  closed  after 
her,  and  she  was  led  to  a  seat  on  the  can- 
opied dais  between  her  mother  and  the  Queen 
Mother. 

Then  came  the  exciting  moment  so  eagerly 
anticipated  by  the  expectant  guests  —  the 
ceremony  of  the  Shower  of  Coin,  gold  in  the 
throne-room,  silver  in  the  salon.  An  Effendi, 
a  lady  of  rank,  thrust  her  hand  into  a  bag 
borne  by  a  slave  and  flung  a  shining  shower 
of  newly  minted  coin  among  the  assembled 
guests,  who  scrambled  nimbly  for  the  coveted 


86       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

souvenirs.  The  gold  pieces  were  of  various 
values  from  Is.  to  5s.,  the  silver  from  2^4<L 
to  5d. 

At  her  first  fete,  Miss  Chennell  says  she 
was  not  fortunate  enough  to  get  inside  the 
throne-room:  she  further  relates  that  no 
sooner  had  the  Shower  of  Coin  occurred  than 
a  cry  of  alarm  came  from  within,  "  The  Prin- 
cess is  ill!"  Almost  immediately  the  glitter- 
ing form  of  the  pale  bride  loaded  with  gems 
was  brought  out,  half  carried,  half  dragged 
—  the  weight  of  her  jewels,  the  heat  of  the 
rooms  and  the  excitement  of  the  ceremony 
being  too  much  for  her. 

The  following  day  the  Princess  was  borne 
in  procession  to  the  home  of  her  husband, 
where  during  the  long  years  of  monotonous 
married  life  the  recollection  of  that  wedding 
week  would  become  a  romance  of  cherished 
memory  feeding  fancy  and  imagination. 

The  poor  starved  lives  of  these  pampered 
women  are  anything  but  enviable.  Although 
indulged  in  jewels  and  dresses,  stuffed  with 
sweet-meats  and  saturated  with  attar  of  rose, 
these  childish  souls  and  untrained  minds  are 
confined  in  gilded  cages,  the  plated  bars  of 
which  are  iron  underneath,  the  doors  close- 
locked,  their  keys  kept  by  eunuchs  with  au- 
thority delegated  from  husbands  and  fathers. 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       87 

Without  implements  or  books,  with  employ- 
ment neither  for  hand  or  mind,  all  glimpse 
of  the  world  without  hidden  by  high  palace 
walls,  these  Mohammedan  women  are  limited 
to  the  little  flowered  courts  of  their  harems. 
On  the  occasional  drives  of  the  favoured  few, 
shuttered  blinds  obstruct  their  view;  and  if 
indulged  to  the  extent  of  an  opera,  the  bril- 
liance of  the  performance  is  dulled  by  the 
screen  of  lace  across  their  box. 


Cairo, 
Sunday t  December  4th. 

THIS  afternoon  we  visited  some  of  the  fa- 
mous mosques  in  the  heart  of  Old  Cairo.  We 
came  first  to  the  Babez-Zuweleh,  a  massive 
gateway  of  the  ancient  city  wall  flanked  by 
two  huge  towers.  Here  the  spirit  of  a  Cai- 
rene  saint  is  thought  to  dwell  and  reveal  his 
presence  by  flashes  of  light.  Heavily  veiled 
women  and  men  on  crutches  were  standing 
with  faces  pressed  close  to  the  gate  and  hands 
caressing  it,  praying  to  be  healed,  and  tying 
to  the  heavy  brass  nails  of  its  doors  bunches 
of  hair,  flowers,  and  bits  of  cloth;  —  similar 
votive  offerings  already  covered  its  entire  sur- 
face. 

Near  by  is  the  Mosque  of  El-Muaiyad,  a 
caliph  of  the  fifteenth  century,  and  one  no- 
torious for  his  oppression  of  Christian  and 
Jew.  He  ordained  that  the  former  should 
go  clad  in  sombre  blue  with  black  turban,  and 
should  wear  a  wooden  cross  of  five  pounds 
weight  suspended  about  his  neck;  for  the 
Jew  he  decreed  a  dress  of  flaunting  yellow 

88 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       89 

also  with  black  turban,  and  condemned  him 
to  carry  about  a  six  pound  ball  —  an  intol- 
erable burden. 

At  every  turn  one  finds  a  mosque  in  Cairo. 
In  your  last  letter  you  asked  me  to  write 
more  in  detail  of  those  in  Egypt. 

The  simplest  form  demands  merely  a  small 
square  enclosure  protected  from  desecration, 
with  a  mark  indicating  the  direction  of 
Mecca.  It  is  usually  beside  fresh  water,  or 
if  that  is  not  accessible,  ablutions  may  be 
performed  with  sand.  Some  mosques  are  for 
daily  prayer  except  on  Friday.  Others  are 
tomb  mosques,  while  in  the  Gamias  a  sermon 
is  preached  every  Friday.  These  Gamias 
have  a  large  court  with  the  invariable  foun- 
tain for  preliminary  purification.  The  east- 
ern side  of  the  court  is  the  sacred  place  or  Li- 
wan,  and  is  covered  with  matting  or  carpet.  It 
contains  the  Kibla  or  Mirab,  the  prayer-niche 
in  the  direction  of  the  holy  city,  Mecca,  and 
the  Mimbar,  the  high  narrow  flight  of  steps 
with  canopied  pulpit.  Near  the  centre  of  the 
Liwan  stands  the  Dikkeh,  a  raised  platform 
from  which  the  assistants  repeat  the  words  of 
the  Koran  for  the  benefit  of  those  in  the  rear 
of  the  hall.  The  tomb  of  the  founder  usually 
occupies  a  corner  of  the  mosque.  The  build- 
ing is  lighted  by  chandeliers  and  thousands  of 


90       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

tiny  oil  lamps  suspended  by  long  wires  from 
the  ceiling.  It  is  crowded  with  them ! 

Near  the  entrance  is  generally  a  larger 
fountain  enclosed  in  a  beautiful  marble  pa- 
vilion decorated  with  exquisite  carving  and 
texts,  and  shaded  by  wide  eaves.  In  the 
upper  chamber  is  held  the  elementary  school 
attached  to  the  mosque.  After  learning  the 
alphabet  and  the  multiplication  table,  the 
scholar  masters  the  ninety -nine  ;<  Beautiful 
Names  "  of  Allah,  so  that  he  may  repeat  the 
ninety-nine  prayers  of  the  Mohammedan  ro- 
sary. He  then  commits  the  Koran  to  mem- 
ory, and  is  graduated. 

The  Gamia  Ibn  Tulun,  erected  in  879,  is 
the  oldest  in  Cairo,  and  legend  claims  it  as 
the  spot  of  Abraham's  sacrifice.  It  is  of  brick 
covered  with  stucco  and  is  in  the  style  of  the 
Kaba  of  Mecca.  The  court,  which  is  the  size 
of  a  city  block,  is  covered  by  a  massive  dome 
with  eight  openings,  and  is  surrounded  on 
three  sides  by  a  deep  double  arcade.  On  the 
fourth  side,  the  Liwan,  the  arcade  is  quad- 
ruple. Just  above  the  slightly  pointed  arches 
is  a  rich  frieze  carved  in  stucco,  while  a  bor- 
der of  texts  from  the  Koran  runs  around  the 
top  of  the  wall.  The  roof  of  the  arcade  is 
of  beams  of  date-palm  encased  in  sycamore. 
Slender  windows  set  high  in  the  wall  have 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       91 

elaborate  gratings  of  stucco  filled  with  rich 
gold  and  crimson  glass. 

As  we  walked  through  the  solemn  silence 
under  the  lofty  dome  in  the  subdued  light  of 
the  golden  windows,  the  great  mosque,  bare 
of  image  or  altar,  with  no  chairs  even,  —  for 
the  Mohammedan  adores  standing,  prostrat- 
ing himself  frequently,  —  one  could  but  re- 
spect the  austere  dignity  of  such  a  temple, 
and  the  intensity  of  a  faith  requiring  no  out- 
ward symbol. 

The  Professor,  who  is  a  very  High  Church- 
man, and  practises  confession,  was  forcibly 
struck  with  the  lack  of  accessories  to  worship. 

'  Why,  Selim,  they  have  no  altar  —  no 
nothing!  No?  Don't  they  believe  in  confes- 
sion?" 

"  No,"  answered  the  autocrat  Selim,  who 
is  a  Copt,  "  they  confess  to  one  God  only  — 
they  believe  in  one  God  only,  not  in  three  like 
us  Christians ! " 

The  Professor  was  greatly  impressed  with 
the  simplicity  and  spirituality  of  the  wor- 
ship, and  wandered  off  muttering  to  himself, 
'Well,  well,  no  altar  —  no  nothing!  Very 
spiritual  —  very! " 

The  one  Coptic  church,  that  of  St.  George, 
which  every  tourist  visits,  is  a  most  dingy 
affair,  but  tradition  claims  it  as  the  resting 


92       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

place  of  the  Virgin  and  Child  during  one 
month  of  their  sojourn  in  Egypt.  It  is  con- 
sidered the  model  of  all  the  Byzantine 
churches  of  the  Coptic  Christians  in  the  land 
of  the  Nile. 

Their  ritual  is  unique  and  fatiguing.  Af- 
ter venerating  the  various  pictures  of  saints, 
hung  on  the  Ikonostasis,  or  screen,  which  they 
use  in  common  with  the  Greek  Church,  they 
kneel  and  kiss  the  hand  of  the  priest.  Since 
they  must  stand  during  the  long  three-hour 
service,  many  bring  crutches  for  support. 
The  priest  passes  through  the  congregation, 
placing  his  hand  in  blessing  on  the  head  of 
each  member.  Palm  Sunday  every  worship- 
per receives  a  wreath  of  palms  blessed  by  the 
priest,  to  wear  under  his  tarbush  throughout 
the  year  as  a  charm  against  all  misfortune. 
Yearly  baptism  is  practised  on  the  eighteenth 
of  January,  the  anniversary  of  the  baptism 
of  Jesus,  at  which  time  men  and  boys  plunge 
into  the  large  font  at  the  end  of  the  nave 
after  it  has  been  blessed  by  the  priest.  Three 
times  a  year  the  latter  washes  the  feet  of  the 
whole  congregation.  The  Copts  are  also  rig- 
orous in  observance  of  fasts;  the  Professor 
was  always  quizzing  Selim  to  learn  if  he  were 
faithful  to  the  tenets  of  his  church. 

Eut  Selim  interpreted  his  Bible  more  lib- 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT   93 

erally.  When  showing  us  through  the  Mu- 
seum, he  had  pointed  out  the  mummy  of  the 
Pharaoh  of  the  Oppression,  Merneptah  —  his 
name  engraved  on  his  cartouche. 

"  But,"  protested  the  Professor,  "  that 
Pharaoh  was  drowned  in  the  Red  Sea! " 

"  No,  no,"  corrected  Selim,  the  archaeolog- 
ical sceptic,  "  that  could  not  be,  for  here  he 
is ;  only  part  of  his  army  was  drowned,  — 
and,  anyway,"  he  added,  "  those  stories  are 
all  rot ! "  —  his  knowledge  of  English  slang 
was  most  amazing. 

It  certainly  was  rather  convincing  to  see 
the  well-preserved  body  of  this  monarch  lying 
there  before  our  eyes. 

As  we  returned  to  the  carriage  we  found  our 
Jehu  telling  his  rosary  —  its  ninety-nine  beads 
typifying  the  ninety-nine  attributes  of  Allah. 
What  other  coachman  of  any  civilized  country 
would  be  found  thus  occupied? 


Cairo, 
Monday,  December  5ih. 

THIS  last  day  in  Cairo  Selim  appeared  in 
an  exquisite  robe  of  soft  blue  broadcloth  with 
delicate  braiding  of  black  and  silver  on  vest 
and  sleeve.  He  delights  in  colour  and  every 
morning  arrays  himself  in  some  new  shade, 
rich  golden  brown,  soft  gray,  dark  green,  or 
deep  red  —  a  most  picturesque  figure. 

Almost  every  day  we  have  driven  at  least 
once  down  to  the  Muski,  just  back  of  the 
Esbekiyeh  Gardens  and  not  far  from  the  fine 
equestrian  statue  of  Ibrahim  Pasha.  This 
statue,  the  first  to  be  erected  in  Mohammedan 
Egypt,  marks  an  epoch  in  Moslem  art  since 
it  is  in  direct  controvention  of  the  code  of 
Islam,  which  forbids  the  making  of  images  or 
pictures  either  of  men  or  animals. 

From  modern  Cairo  one  passes  directly 
to  the  native  quarter.  Nothing  could  be  more 
fascinating!  The  narrow  streets  with  the  lat- 
ticed balconies  almost  touching  overhead  are 
thronged  with  Orientals  in  brilliant  hues;  the 
Arab  on  his  camel,  its  loose  lip  nibbling  at  fruit 
and  flowers,  the  merchant  on  his  donkey,  the 

94 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       95 

scribe  squatting  beside  the  fountain,  ready  with 
inkhorn  and  reed  pen  to  write  letters  for  the 
trustful  uneducated  native,  the  sheik  in  silken 
caftan,  the  fellah  in  blue  cotton,  and  a  motley 
crowd  afoot,  make  it  difficult  for  the  European 
in  his  victoria  to  pass.  The  sturdy  water-car- 
rier, bent  double  with  the  weight  of  his  heavy 
goat-skin,  walks  along  clinking  his  brass  cups 
to  attract  attention.  The  auctioneer,  with  tray 
of  goods  on  head,  runs  up  and  down  the 
Muski  calling  out  the  bids  his  quick  ear 
catches  —  the  owner  at  his  heels  ready  to  close 
the  bargain.  Oily-tongued  merchants,  sitting 
tailor-fashion  on  the  floor  of  tiny  shops, 
smoke  their  long  narghilehs  while  waiting  to 
beguile  the  passing  tourist.  Mid-day  or  sun- 
set finds  these  same  busy  traders  kneeling  on 
robes  or  prayer-rugs  with  unshod  feet  pros- 
trating themselves  towards  Mecca. 

Many  of  the  bazaars  are  really  covered 
passages,  an  awning  being  stretched  across 
each  narrow  way  to  protect  it  from  the  fierce 
African  sun.  There  are  bazaars  of  various 
nations,  Turkish  and  Syrian  as  well  as  Egyp- 
tian, and  of  various  wares.  One  would  be 
devoted  to  red  and  yellow  slippers,  another 
to  fezes,  a  third  to  embroidered  tunics,  some 
to  brass  and  some  to  sweets,  dates  and  figs. 
The  spice  market  dispenses  attar-of-rose, 


96       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

which  is  sold  by  weight,  or  in  long  tubular 
bottles,  holding  just  one  drop,  a  dollar  a 
bottle. 

The  smells,  the  flies,  the  lepers  and  the 
diseases  I  have  spared  you,  but  they  are  all 
part  of  the  picture. 

Several  times  we  have  had  to  wait  for  a 
funeral  to  pass.  It  was  invariably  led  by 
aged  men  chanting  the  creed,  "Allah!  Al- 
lah! There  is  no  god  but  Allah!"  —  the 
casket  carried  on  the  shoulders  of  four  men 
and  covered  with  a  rich  Persian  shawl. 

To-day  we  visited  the  large  shop  of  Ha- 
toun,  which  is  really  a  museum  of  ancient  and 
modern  Oriental  articles.  Coffee  was  served 
us  in  tiny  cups  while  we  sat  on  low  stools  and 
handled  the  many  rich  fabrics  of  our  host, 
soft  silks  of  delicate  rainbow  hues,  zouave 
jackets  and  cloaks  of  white  and  pearl-gray 
cloth,  blue  or  red  velvet  embroidered  heavily 
in  silver  or  gold  thread;  jewelled  daggers  and 
Damascus  swords;  ebony  stools  and  cedar  Ko- 
ran-racks, inlaid  with  ivory  and  mother-of- 
pearl;  coffee-pots  and  trays  of  brass  and  sil- 
ver delicately  wrought;  opals  and  turquoise 
from  Sinai. 

The  proprietor,  an  intelligent  Syrian  of 
considerable  education,  showed  us  a  rare  copy 
of  the  Koran,  wonderfully  illuminated,  which 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       97 

he  valued  at  six  hundred  and  forty  dollars. 
The  Professor  immediately  began  question- 
ing him  concerning  his  creed,  and  to  his 
amazement  found  that  the  merchant  was  a 
Christian,  an  attendant  at  the  Presbyterian 
Mission.  We  left  them  arguing  religion 
while  we  bought  opals  and  turquoise. 

After  tiffin  we  drove  the  length  of  the 
Muski  and  on  east  some  distance  through 
deep  sand  and  blinding  dust  to  the  Tombs 
of  the  Kalifahs  and  the  Mamelukes,  which 
extend  southward  along  the  entire  eastern 
border  of  Cairo.  They  are  really  tomb- 
mosques,  most  of  them  being  in  the  form  of 
cubes  surmounted  by  stilted  domes  with  one 
or  two  minarets. 

The  tomb-mosque  of  Sultan  Barkuk  has 
two  beautiful  minarets  and  two  splendid 
domes,  one  over  the  female  and  the  other 
over  the  male  members  of  the  family.  It  is 
a  most  perfect  specimen  of  Arabian  architec- 
ture because  of  its  symmetry  and  its  massive 
construction.  The  slender  tapering  minarets 
have  galleries  and  balconies  with  beautiful 
stalactite  cornices.  The  sheik  in  attendance 
and  his  family  live  in  the  enclosure.  Dur- 
ing the  fast  of  Ramadan,  which  occurs  this 
month,  the  families  of  the  dead  come  to  spend 
three  days  in  prayer  at  the  tomb. 


98       FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

Within  these  finer  mosques  we  find  bronze 
doors,  rich  carpets  and  pulpits  exquisitely 
carved  and  inlaid  with  ivory.  At  the  head 
and  foot  of  each  massive  catafalque  are  mar- 
ble columns,  the  top  of  the  former  being 
shaped  like  the  turban  of  the  deceased,  its 
form  indicating  his  rank.  Each  shaft  is  dec- 
orated; those  over  the  men's  tomb  with  roses 
or  a  slender  cypress,  while  that  of  a  princess 
would  be  carved  with  long  braids  of  hair 
picked  out  in  gold. 

Close  to  the  outskirts  of  Cairo  at  this  point 
we  could  see  the  majestic  Mosque  of  Sultan 
Hassan,  which  dates  back  to  1356.  It  is  one 
of  the  most  famous  and  served  as  a  model 
for  that  of  Ispahan,  Persia.  Its  lofty  portal, 
sixty  feet  in  height,  reminded  me  of  the  huge 
pylon  of  some  ancient  temple  of  the  Pharaohs. 
Just  beyond  is  the  Place  Rumeleh,  the  start- 
ing point  of  the  caravans  that  make  the  an- 
nual Pilgrimage  to  Mecca. 

"  Last  winter,"  said  our  Conductor,  "  I 
was  fortunate  enough  to  see  the  caravan  start. 
It  was  a  great  sight  and  attended  with  much 
ceremony.  Tents  were  erected  in  this  large 
square  and  awnings  spread  with  seats  for 
high  officials.  As  soon  as  the  Khedive  ar- 
rived the  procession  formed  and  filed  before 
his  Highness:  two  regiments  of  infantry  — 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT       99 

with  pennons  flying  from  their  lances  —  led 
off,  then  four  or  five  camels,  swung  between 
two  of  which  was  the  tinselled  litter  contain- 
ing the  sacred  Mahmal,  the  new  carpet  — 
the  yearly  gift  of  the  Khedive  to  the  Mosque 
at  Mecca.  On  the  last  camel  sat  a  holy  sheik 
stripped  to  the  waist,  his  bushy  head  rolling 
from  side  to  side  in  a  pretended  frenzy  of 
religious  emotion,  which  they  said  would  last 
all  the  way  to  Mecca.  Hundreds  of  camels 
followed  carrying  pilgrims  to  the  number  of 
several  thousands.  They  paraded  through  the 
principal  streets  of  Cairo  and  then  passed  on 
some  distance  into  the  desert  where  they  went 
into  camp  for  an  indefinite  period. 

'  Their  final  departure  I  did  not  see,  as 
the  time  is  always  kept  secret  and  the  pres- 
ence of  foreigners  frowned  upon.  The  pil- 
grims were  mostly  men,  although  a  few  had 
their  wives  with  them.  A  widow,  I  am  told, 
sometimes  makes  the  journey,  but  to  do  so 
she  is  obliged  to  enter  into  a  temporary  mar- 
riage with  some  poor  Moslem  whom  on  her 
return  she  remunerates  handsomely  for  the 
favour,"  laughed  Mr.  Richards. 

As  it  was  growing  late  we  hastened  on  to 
the  Citadel,  which  we  had  reserved  as  the  cli- 
max of  our  week's  stay  in  Cairo. 

A  steep  narrow  way  between  walls  of  mas- 


100     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

sive  masonry  leads  to  the  rock  on  which  the 
Citadel  stands  high  above  the  plain.  On  the 
way  up  we  met  a  company  of  Highlanders 
in  kilts.  Tommy  Atkins  holds  the  fort,  as- 
sisted by  the  Egyptian  soldier  in  khaki,  and 
a  very  proud  soldier  he.  This  stronghold  was 
erected  in  1166  with  stone  taken  from  the 
smaller  pyramids  of  Gizeh. 

Selim  pointed  out  to  us  the  former  nar- 
rower approach  between  high  parapets  where 
occurred  the  massacre  of  the  turbulent  Mam- 
elukes by  order  of  Mohammed  Ali,  March 
1st,  1811:  one  only,  Amin  Bey,  escaped  on 
his  horse  by  leaping  through  a  gap  in  the 
wall  into  the  moat  below. 

The  terrace  is  crowned  by  the  splendid 
Gamia  Mohammed  Ali,  the  Alabaster 
Mosque  which  dominates  every  picture  of 
the  Egyptian  metropolis.  Begun  in  1824 
on  the  site  of  the  old  palace,  it  was  not  com- 
pleted till  1857,  under  Said  Pasha.  It  is  the 
only  mosque  we  have  found  in  perfect  pres- 
ervation. Its  architect  was  a  Greek  who  mod- 
elled it  after  that  of  St.  Sophia  at  Constan- 
tinople. The  walls  and  columns  are  of  rich 
yellow  alabaster.  Immense  Turkish  rugs  of 
rich  crimson  cover  its  spacious  floor,  while 
above  the  roof  rises  in  a  large  central  dome 
with  four  smaller  ones  encircling.  The  great 


THE    ALABASTER    MOSQUE    OF   MOHAMMED   ALL 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     101 

outer  court,  paved  with  big  blocks  of  marble, 
is  lined  on  all  sides  with  a  splendid  marble 
arcade.  A  fountain  enclosed  in  a  beautiful 
white  alabaster  pavilion  adorns  the  centre. 

The  fortress  also  contains  the  famous  Well 
of  Joseph,  280  feet  deep,  into  which,  the  Jews 
claim,  the  Patriarch  Joseph  was  cast  by  his 
brethren.  The  fact  is  that  when  the  Citadel 
was  being  built  in  the  twelfth  century  the 
workmen  discovered  this  pit  filled  with  sand. 
Saladin  Yusuf  caused  it  to  be  re-opened  and 
named  it  after  himself. 

Walking  around  the  Alabaster  Mosque  to 
the  southwest  we  came  out  upon  the  terrace 
which  commands  a  world-famed  view  of 
Cairo,  the  city  whose  charm  the  Jewish  hakim 
has  so  beautifully  sung :  — 

"  He  who  hath  not  seen  Cairo,  hath  not  seen  the  world. 

Her  soil  is  gold ; 

Her  Nile  is  a  marvel ; 

Her  women  are  as  the  bright-eyed  houris  of  Paradise ; 

Her  houses  are  palaces,  and  her  air  is  soft,  with  an  odour 

above  aloes,  refreshing   the  heart ; 
And  how  should  Cairo  be  otherwise,  when  she  is  the  mother 

of  the  world?  " 

To  the  north,  set  here  and  there  among  the 
low  sandy  Windmill  hills,  are  the  tombs  of 
the  Khalifas.  Behind,  and  really  dominating 
the  fortress  and  nullifying  its  efficiency,  tower 


102     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

the  precipitous  Mokattam  Cliffs,  the  western 
wall  of  the  great  Arabian  Desert,  which  rolls 
away  eastward  to  the  Red  Sea,  and  beyond. 
Immediately  below  us  rises  the  imposing 
Mosque  of  Sultan  Hassan,  with  the  city 
spreading  over  an  immense  area  beyond. 

The  older  native  portion  is  a  huddled  mass 
of  stone  and  stucco  intersected  by  devious 
lanes,  while  the  modern  European  city  on  the 
left  is  distinguished  by  wide  avenues  radiating 
from  the  green  shrubbery  of  a  park,  or  the 
clearing  round  a  statue. 

From  the  low  flat  roof  of  its  dwellings 
rise  curved  pipes,  set  to  catch  the  cool  north 
breeze  during  the  many  months  of  hot  parch- 
ing summer.  We  stood  long  gazing  down 
upon  Egypt's  capital  and  its  three  hundred 
mosques.  The  setting  sun  touched  with  rosy 
light  their  splendid  domes  and  thousand  min- 
arets, accredited  the  most  beautiful  in  all  the 
Islam  world;  its  towered  gates  and  bastioned 
walls,  its  palms  and  many  gardens.  To  the 
west  the  Nile,  dotted  with  passing  sails, 
wound  like  a  ribbon  through  distant  fields  of 
green.  Beyond,  the  pointed  Pyramids  glowed 
deep  rose,  set  in  a  sea  of  opal-tinted  sand, 
which  stretched  away  into  the  western  hori- 
zon. 

A  voice,  sounding  far  and  high,  floated  up 


FROM  CAIRO  TO   THE  CATARACT     103 

to  us  on  the  twilight  stillness;  it  was  the 
muezzin,  calling  the  faithful  to  prayer. 
Pierre  Douillet's  "  Oriental  Song,"  which 
Eugenia  sings,  gives  the  refrain  very  cor- 
rectly: — 


Come- 


to 


pray  -  er,  Al  -  lah  is  great  I  Al  -  lah  is  great,    come,- 

P 


pray  -  er. 


From  first  one  and  then  another  balcony 
of  the  many  minarets  all  over  the  city  came 
the  sunset  chant  marking  the  beginning  of 
the  Mohammedan  day  —  nightfall  —  the  first 
of  the  five  hours  of  prayer.  Spontaneously 
there  swept  over  us  a  thrill  of  grateful  ad- 
oration for  the  beauty  and  wonders  spread 
around  us  —  the  mysterious  city,  the  glowing 
southern  sky  and  deepening  stars,  so  strangely 
brilliant. 


"  S.  S.  Rameses"  on  the  Nile,  Egypt, 
December  6th. 

THIS  morning  we  started  for  the  Nile 
steamer,  with  our  small  trunks  only.  As  we 
drove  across  the  bridge  to  the  wharf  just 
beyond,  the  little  double-decker  floating  on 
the  water  looked  clean  and  fresh,  a  most  in- 
viting home  for  a  three  weeks'  excursion. 
The  manager  of  the  steamship  company  was 
at  the  boat  to  see  us  off,  and  presented 
each  passenger  with  a  permit  for  which  the 
ordinary  tourist  pays  a  pound,  and  which 
secures  the  entree  to  all  the  monuments  of 
Egypt;  this  revenue  is  devoted  to  the  pres- 
ervation of  the  monuments  and  ruins.  He 
also  gave  to  each  a  copy  of  Dr.  Wallis 
Budge's  book  on  Egypt,  which  contains  chap- 
ters on  both  ancient  and  modern  Egypt  and 
answers  many  questions. 

There  are  only  about  thirty  passengers,  for 
the  season  has  barely  begun,  this  being  but 
the  second  trip  of  the  "  Rameses "  up  the 
Nile.  As  we  put  off  from  shore  the  barefoot 
Egyptian  sailors  with  long  poles  pushed  us 

104 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     105 

clear  of  the  wharf,  singing  in  unison  as  they 
worked. 

Our  start  was  made  promptly  at  ten,  and 
tiffin  was  served  early,  at  half  after  eleven, 
in  order  that  we  might  have  time  for  the 
long  excursion  from  Bedrechen  to  Sakkarah 
six  miles  distant.  The  moment  the  vessel 
came  to  land  we  hurried  ashore  to  secure 
good  donkeys.  We  were  immediately  sur- 
rounded by  a  shouting,  jostling  mob  of  Arabs 
and  donkey-boys  urging  us  to  hire  their  beasts 
-  the  burros  backing  into  us  meanwhile,  until 
in  desperation  we  chose  the  nearest.  Our 
dragoman,  Hafiz,  or  Ahmed,  his  assistant, 
helped  us  jump  into  our  saddles;  and  we  were 
soon  off,  our  runners  at  our  heels. 

A  field  of  pampas-grass  we  passed  re- 
minded me  of  home.  The  first  thing  I  knew, 
my  donkey  was  running  into  that  of  a  dig- 
nified white-haired  gentleman  and  pushing  it 
off  the  path;  none  of  my  sawing  or  pulling 
would  correct  the  manners  of  my  mount. 
The  gentleman  forgave  the  discourtesy,  and 
we  were  soon  comparing  the  climates  of  Cairo 
and  San  Diego,  Mr.  Simmons'  home,  to  the 
detriment  of  the  Egyptian  capital.  The  rest 
of  the  company,  no  doubt,  credited  us  with 
the  usual  California  egotism. 

Crossing  the  dry  bed  of  an  ancient  branch 


106     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

of  the  Nile,  we  came  to  some  scattered  blocks 
of  granite  and  low  heaps  of  mud  walls  crum- 
bled and  almost  obliterated,  over  which  cen- 
tury-old palms  spread  protecting  branches. 
"  Here,"  announced  Hafiz,  "  is  all  that  re- 
mains of  that  once  famous  metropolis,  ancient 
Memphis,  Egypt's  first  capital  and  the  earli- 
est city  on  earth  known  to  history! "  This 
haughty  Babylon  by  the  Nile  with  her  mighty 
walls  and  many  gates  is  now  but  a  name. 
Upon  her  has  fallen,  even  more  heavily,  the 
curse  of  Jerusalem;  literally  "  Not  one  stone 
is  left  upon  another." 

Fittingly  has  the  poet  sung  her  desolation: 

"Death  lives  in  her  foundations,  and  her  days 
Are  willow-mourners  by  the  water-side. 
No  more  the  Nile,  around  his  marble  bride, 

Flings  arms  of  brightness  like  a  yellow  blaze  ; 

No  more  the  marching  Ages,  with  amaze, 
Before  her  beauty  in  abeyance  bide, 
For  she  is  dead ;  and,  with  her,  Isis  died ; 

And  not  a  slave  Osiris  now  obeys. 

"  When  the  young  Years  went  naked  yet  of  names, 
Singing,  she  woke,  all  wonder ;  —  that  white  ark 
Whence  Music  wandered,  like  a  mystic  dove 
Exploring  God !     Now  over  her  loud  fames 
Oceans  of  silence  unremembering  move ; 
And  she  is  named  the  Mother  of  the  Dark  !  " 

During  long  aeons  of  archaic  evolution  in 
the  earlier  pre-historic  age,  the  dwellers  by 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     107 

the  Nile  had  lived  and  developed  side  by  side 
but  ever  separate  and  distinct.  There  was  the 
Upper  Egypt  of  the  South  land,  —  its  em- 
blem, a  lily;  its  sovereign,  Lord  of  the  White 
Crown;  its  ensign,  a  plant;  its  treasury,  the 
'White  House;"  and  its  protecting  patron, 
the  serpent-goddess,  or  sacred  urseus  —  while 
below  lay  the  Lower  Egypt  of  the  Delta  with 
papyrus  emblem,  a  Lord  of  the  Red  Crown  for 
king,  a  bee  for  ensign,  for  treasury  the  "  Red 
House,"  and  for  tutelary  genius  the  vulture- 
goddess,  the  holy  hawk  with  outspread  wings. 
Both  rulers  bore  the  title  "  Horus,"  and  both 
claimed  to  reign  as  sons  of  the  hawk-headed 
god,  but  Upper  Egypt  of  the  interior  was 
ever  the  more  Egyptian  of  the  two.  Thus 
the  two  in  early  ages. 

In  the  course  of  time,  however,  at  the  be- 
ginning of  history,  according  to  Manetho, 
there  arose  in  the  thirty-fifth  century  B.  c.  a 
mighty  man,  Menes,  the  first  monarch  of 
united  Egypt,  or  indeed  of  the  world.  Born 
at  Thinis  near  Abydos  in  the  south,  he  in- 
vaded and  conquered  the  land  of  the  Red 
Crown  and  cemented  the  conquest  by  estab- 
lishing his  capital  at  the  beginning  of  the 
Delta  in  the  narrow  part  of  the  Nile  Valley, 
midway  between  Upper  and!  Lower  Egypt 


108     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

—  thus  commanding  the  country  from  Philae 
to  the  sea. 

To  make  a  site  for  the  city,  Menes  changed 
the  channel  so  that  the  river  flowed  to  the 
east,  and  thus  formed  a  barrier  against  the 
aggressive  peoples  of  Mesopotamia  and  Syria. 
Menes  reigned  long  and  his  successors  ruled 
in  prosperity  over  the  united  country  more 
than  four  hundred  years,  but  the  tradition  of 
two  lands  remained  long  indelible;  the  king 
was  always  "  the  double  lord,"  his  diadem 
"  the  double  crown."  Menes  was  deified  dur- 
ing life,  being  called  "  The  God  "  -  his  min- 
isters of  finance,  "  The  two  treasurers  of  the 
God  "  —  titles  continued  for  centuries.  Be- 
cause of  its  great  wall,  painted  with  white 
stucco,  the  city  was  called  the  "  White  Wall  " 
in  reference  to  the  power  of  its  conqueror, 
the  Lord  of  the  "  White  Crown."  This  po- 
etic name  was  retained  until  Pepi  I,  a  power- 
ful Pharaoh  of  the  Sixth  Dynasty,  erected 
his  pyramid-city  so  close  to  the  ancient  cap- 
ital that  the  "  White  Wall "  thereafter  took 
the  name  of  the  pyramid  —  Men-nofer,  which 
the  Greeks  translated  "  Memphis." 

Sakkarah,  the  Necropolis  of  ancient  Mem- 
phis, extended  over  forty-five  square  miles,  and 
included  within  its  confines  these  seventy  gi- 
gantic cairns,  the  Pyramids  of  the  Pharaohs. 


FALLEN    COLOSSI    OF    RAMSES    THE    GREAT. 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     109 

Memphis  maintained  its  supremacy  till  Thebes 
and  the  worship  of  the  Theban  god,  Am- 
on-Re,  of  Upper  Egypt,  superseded  it 
2000  B.  c. 

A  little  farther  on,  we  came  upon  the  fa- 
mous fallen  Colossi  of  Ramses  the  Great, 
recumbent  statues  which  long  lay  half  buried 
in  the  mud  of  the  sacred  lake  adjoining  the 
Temple  of  Ptah.  The  larger  figure,  which 
is  42  feet  long,  is  now  protected  by  a  wooden 
shed.  Climbing  a  high  stairway,  we  looked 
down  upon  the  prostrate  giant.  The  huge 
form  lay  vast  and  neglected  on  the  desert 
sand.  The  haughty  granite  features  wore  a 
look  of  austere  dignity.  Was  it  of  this  Co- 
lossus Shelley  wrote  the  sonnet,  "  Ozyman- 
dia?" 

"  I  met  a  traveller  from  an  antique  land 

Who  said :    '  Two  vast  and  trunkless  legs  of  stone 
Stand  in  the  desert.     Near  them  on  the  sand, 

Half  sunk,  a  shattered  visage  lies,  whose  frown 
And  wrinkled  lip  and  sneer  of  cold  command 

Tell  that  its  sculptor  well  those  passions  read 
Which  yet  survive,  stamped  on  these  lifeless  things, 

The  hand  that  mocked  them  and  the  heart  that  fed. 
And  on  the  pedestal  these  words  appear: 

"  My  name  is  Ozymandias,  king  of  kings  ; 
Look  on  my  works,  ye  mighty  and  despair  ; " 

Nothing  beside  remains.     Round  the  decay 
Of  that  colossal  wreck,  boundless  and  bare, 

The  lone  and  level  sands  stretch  far  away.'" 


110     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

These  statues  were  probably  erected  by 
Ramses  II  after  his  long  victorious  war 
against  the  Hittites  in  the  east.  This  Ram- 
ses, the  Osymandyas  or  Sesostris  of  Greek 
story,  was  the  greatest  of  all  Egyptian  mon- 
archs.  During  his  long  reign  of  sixty-seven 
years  he  got  possession  of  Palestine,  defeated 
the  Hittites,  and  erected  innumerable  temples 
and  statues  of  himself  all  over  his  realm. 

At  Abu  Simbel  are  colossal  seated  figures, 
at  Karnak  is  a  gigantic  standing  statue 
nearly  seventy  feet  high,  —  everywhere  we 
find  the  name  of  Ramses  writ  large;  one 
tablet  even  crediting  him  with  seventeen 
sons.  For  the  express  pleasure  of  one  of  the 
"  little  sons  "  of  this  Ramses  was  written  that 
inimitable  fairy  tale,  "  Cinderella  and  the  Glass 
Slipper,"  the  delight  of  all  childhood  since 
history  began. 

Ramses  II  is  especially  famous  as  the  Pha- 
raoh of  the  Oppression.  In  the  Gizeh  Mu- 
seum we  saw  his  mummy  lying  in  state  under 
glass  in  its  decorated  coffin.  Unswathed  from 
its  sheathings  of  cloth,  the  imperial  head,  won- 
derfully preserved,  with  high  receding  fore- 
head, prominent  cheekbones,  and  long  neck 
encased  in  stock  of  mummy-cloth,  looked  not 
unlike  a  gentleman  of  the  time  of  Washington 
and  Lafayette. 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE^  CATARACT     111 

Very  recently  Egyptologists  have  discov- 
ered that  many  of  the  temples  and  monu- 
ments bearing  the  name  of  Ramses  II  ex- 
isted a  thousand  years  prior  to  his  time; 
archaeologists  therefore  believe  that  the 
epithet  "  Great,"  assumed  by  this  Pharaoh, 
is  a  misnomer  to  which  he  was  in  no  way 
entitled. 

Prof.  Naville,  one  of  the  official  explorers 
of  antiquities  in  Egypt  says  of  Ramses  II: 

'  The  more  we  discover  about  Ramses  the 
more  convinced  are  we  that  he  was  a  fraud. 
He  was  not  great  in  any  way,  but  his  vanity 
was  colossal.  To  satisfy  this  he  conceived  the 
notion  of  causing  his  name  to  be  inscribed  on 
every  temple,  statue  and  monument.  We  are 
now  beginning  to  find  him  out." 

Remounting,  we  passed  along  the  outskirts 
of  a  small  village  nestled  at  the  foot  of  tall 
palms  where  women  sat  in  the  sun  by  the 
dusty  road-side,  children  ran  after  us  crying 
for  pennies,  and  all  the  dogs  of  the  hamlet 
barked  at  us  in  chorus.  A  mile  beyond  on 
the  edge  of  the  western  desert  we  came  to  the 
great  Necropolis  of  Sakkarah  extending  four 
and  a  half  miles  north  and  south,  and  bor- 
dered by  the  eleven  pyramids  of  Dahshur. 
The  whole  bed  of  the  Necropolis  is  so  honey- 


112     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

combed  with  tombs  —  some  of  them  contain- 
ing mummies  of  cats  and  ibises  —  that  we  had 
to  be  careful  where  we  stepped. 

We  now  came  to  a  series  of  rectangular 
mounds  of  brick  or  stone  masonry  with  slo- 
ping sides  —  tombs  called  mastabas  by  mod- 
ern natives  because  of  their  resemblance  to 
the  terrace  or  bench  on  which  the  Arab  squats 
before  his  house  or  shop.  A  secret  passage 
leads  to  the  sepulchral  vault  hidden  in  the  in- 
terior; some  mastabas  have  as  many  as  thirty 
such  rooms. 

We  rode  close  by  the  crumbling  rectangu- 
lar terraces  of  the  Step  Pyramid  and  gazed 
with  awe  upon  this  venerable  pile  —  the  old- 
est stone  monument  known  to  history.  From 
a  base  two  hundred  feet  wide  and  consider- 
ably longer  its  six  diminishing  platforms  rise 
to  an  almost  equal  height.  This  was  the 
mausoleum  of  Zoser,  a  powerful  king  of  the 
Third  Dynasty.  Before  his  time  all  tombs 
had  been  of  sun-baked  brick.  Zoser  was  for- 
tunate in  having  for  Grand  Vizier  a  most 
able  man  —  one  Imhotep  —  known  not  only 
as  "  architect  to  the  god  (king)  "  but  also  as 
proverb-maker  and  physician,  learned  in  signs 
and  simples  —  the  original  of  the  Greek  J&s- 
culapius.  At  the  instigation  of  this  minister 
Zoser  began  an  epoch  of  stone-building,  which 


THE    STEP    PYRAMID,    MAUSOLEUM    OF    KING    ZOSER. 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     113 

culminated  during  the  next  Dynasty  in  the 
Great  Pyramid  of  Khufu. 

We  now  met  a  party  of  tourists  who  were 
taking  the  sights  in  the  opposite  order. 
Among  them  was  Mrs.  Calvin,  whom  I  had 
known  in  Cairo.  An  invalid  and  unable  to 
ride,  she  was  carried  in  state,  her  chair  borne 
by  four  Arabs  who  sang  as  they  marched. 
I  made  her  a  deep  obeisance,  but  she  laugh- 
ingly assured  me  hers  was  no  royal  progress; 
but  most  unenviable;  not  only  had  she  been 
twice  tipped  out,  but  all  day  long  she  was 
compelled  to  listen  to  the  tuneless  chanting 
of  her  escort. 

As  we  dismounted  at  the  Serapeum,  the 
Apis  Mausoleum,  the  donkey-boys  crowded 
around,  holding  out  their  hands,  and  crying, 
"  Something  for  the  donkey  for  to  eat!  "  Of 
course  in  that  dry  desert  no  alfalfa  could  be 
bought,  but  we  each  gave  a  fee  for  peace's 
sake,  and  then  took  the  sloping  path  dug  out 
of  the  sand  down  into  the  bowels  of  the  earth. 
An  iron  gate  protected  the  entrance,  and  a 
picturesque  figure  in  heavy  white  drapery 
peered  at  us  through  the  high  bars,  mounting 
guard  and  demanding  to  be  shown  our  "  tick- 
ette  "  before  permitting  us  to  pass.  Within 
the  guides  were  busy  lighting  candles  and 
passing  them  about.  The  grease  presently 


114     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

melted  and  ran  over  our  gloves,  while  our 
clothes  got  the  benefit  of  the  drippings  from 
the  candles  of  our  neighbours,  who  pressed  us 
on  all  sides.  The  smoke  and  fumes  of  the 
burning  candles  added  to  our  discomfort  and 
set  us  coughing.  The  tombs  were  close  and 
dry,  the  temperature  standing  throughout  the 
year  at  80  Far.  To  this  dryness  of  the  air  is 
due  the  remarkable  preservation  of  the  paint- 
ings on  the  walls  of  so  many  of  the  tombs. 

Carefully  following  the  guide,  and  mind- 
ing our  steps,  we  came  first  upon  an  immense 
slab  of  black  granite,  and  not  far  beyond  it  a 
massive  block  of  the  same  hard  stone;  these 
proved  to  be  the  lid  and  huge  sarcophagus 
intended  for  the  mummy  of  a  sacred  bull. 
They  almost  blocked  the  passage,  and  were 
evidently  on  their  way  to  a  waiting  niche 
opening  off  the  main  corridor,  when  some 
invader,  overthrowing  the  worship  of  Apis, 
interrupted  the  work. 

As  we  penetrated  farther,  bats  by  the  hun- 
dred, resenting  our  invasion,  flew  out  from 
every  niche  and  cranny,  and  almost  swept  our 
heads  with  their  wide  wings  in  their  confused 
efforts  to  hide  from  the  blinding  candles. 
Climbing  a  ladder  we  looked  down  into  one 
of  these  sarcophagi.  "  Here,"  proudly  an- 
nounced Hafiz,  "  King  Edward,  when  Prince 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     115 

of  Wales,  once  ate  tiffin  "  -  a  grewsome,  suf- 
focating place  for  a  repast.  It  is  eight  by 
thirteen  feet,  and  eleven  high.  Twenty-four 
such  sarcophagi  are  in  situ  in  various  niches. 
All  had  been  plundered  except  two  in  niches 
which  had  been  walled  up  in  the  time  of  Ram- 
ses the  Great,  and  which  had  remained  undis- 
covered until  recent  years.  Here  the  finger- 
marks on  the  limestone,  and  in  the  sand  the 
footprints  of  the  barefoot  workmen  were  found 
undisturbed  by  Mariette  after  a  lapse  of  thirty- 
five  centuries. 

The  Apis  was  considered  the  living  image 
on  earth  of  the  god  Ptah,  and  was  kept  in 
one  of  the  courts  of  the  Temple  of  Ptah  at 
Memphis,  where  it  was  consulted  as  an  oracle. 
To  be  chosen  Apis,  a  bull  must  have  certain 
sacred  marks;  it  must  be  black,  have  a  square 
white  spot  on  the  forehead,  the  figure  of  an 
eagle  on  the  back,  a  beetle  on  the  tongue, 
and  double  hairs  in  the  tail.  An  Apis  mummy 
was  wrapped  couchant  as  carefully  as  a  human 
being,  in  yards  and  yards  of  linen;  the  head 
protruded,  the  nose  being  bound  with  inter- 
lacing bands  and  even  the  horns  encased  each 
in  its  separate  sheath.  At  death  the  Apis 
became  an  Osiris,  identified  like  all  the  dead 
with  the  god  Osiris.  The  Apis  was  always 
buried  in  the  Serapeum,  and  over  his  tomb  a 


116     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

chapel  built,  where  he  was  worshipped  as  a 
god  under  the  name  of  Osorhapis.  During  the 
Ptolemaic  period  the  similarity  of  the  name 
Osorhapis  to  that  of  the  Grecian  god  Serapis 
led  to  the  ready  adoption  of  the  Hellenic  deity 
into  the  Egyptian  pantheon. 

The  Serapeum  consists  of  a  number  of  sub- 
terranean corridors  four  hundred  feet  in 
length,  some  of  them  cut  out  of  solid  rock, 
with  chambers  for  sarcophagi  on  either  side. 
The  chapels  above  the  vaults  were  enclosed 
by  a  wall  which,  in  the  time  of  the  Ptolemies, 
was  crowned  by  Greek  statues  and  approached 
by  an  avenue  of  stone  sphinxes. 

Herodotus  relates  that  Cambyses  when  ma- 
king the  conquest  of  Memphis  in  525  B.  c. 
happened  to  visit  the  temple  while  the  Egyp- 
tians were  holding  high  festival  over  the  dis- 
covery of  a  bull  calf  bearing  the  sacred  marks. 
Thinking  their  rejoicings  were  in  derision  of 
his  reverses  in  Ethiopia,  and  believing  it  in- 
credible that  such  a  nation  should  choose  a 
bull  for  a  god,  he  plunged  his  sword  in  con- 
tempt into  the  animal's  thigh;  the  priests 
later  buried  the  Apis  secretly. 

Such  has  been  the  oft-repeated  tradition. 
The  discovery,  however,  of  an  Apis  sarcoph- 
agus inscribed  with  the  name  and  figure  of 
Cambyses  kneeling  before  a  sacred  bull  re- 


MARIETTE'S  HOUSE,  SAKKARAH. 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     117 

veals  a  change  of  heart  in  the  conqueror, 
which  is  further  confirmed  by  a  tablet  erected 
by  one  of  his  Persian  commanders  stating 
that  Cambyses  had  restored  the  Temple  of 
Neith  at  Sais,  renewed  its  revenues  and  fes- 
tivals, and  had  performed  all  the  accustomed 
religious  rites  of  a  Pharaoh. 

Moreover  we  now  know  that  Cambyses  did 
not  kill  the  bull,  but  merely  wounded  it.  A 
Serapeum  stela  bearing  the  name  of  Amasis, 
ruler  in  Egypt  at  the  time  of  the  Persian 
conquest,  records  that  "  the  holiness  of  this 
god  (bull)  went  forth  to  heaven "  in  the 
fourth  year  of  Darius,  and  "  that  the  beau- 
tiful lifetime  of  the  god  (apis)  was  eighteen 
years,  one  month,  six  days,"  therefore  this 
bull  must  have  been  Apis  when  Cambyses 
arrived  at  the  Nile,  and  it  had  evidently 
survived  his  sword-thrust  several  years. 

Nor  is  this  all.  Mariette,  the  discoverer  of 
the  Serapeum,  being  called  back  to  Paris  be- 
fore he  could  complete  his  examination  of  its 
contents,  had  buried  in  the  sand  fourteen 
cases  taken  from  the  tomb,  until  such  time 
as  he  should  return.  Later  among  the  lot 
was  found  one  coffin  which  had  escaped  the 
fanaticism  of  the  early  Christians,  and  this 
mummy  was  that  of  the  identical  Apis  stabbed 
by  Cambyses.  The  condition  of  the  thigh  bone, 


118     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

showing  an  attempt  to  knit  together,  proved 
conclusively  that  the  bull  had  lived  some 
years  after  it  was  wounded.  Thus  does  the 
accuracy  of  modern  archaeology  correct  the 
current  traditions  of  ancient  history. 

Not  far  from  the  Serapeum  is  the  famous 
Mastaba  of  Thi,  four  thousand  six  hundred 
years  old.  Not  only  is  it  one  of  the  best  pre- 
served tombs  in  all  the  valley  of  the  Nile,  but 
the  bas-reliefs  mark  the  climax  of  Egyptian 
art.  Thi  was  Royal  Architect  and  Manager 
of  Pyramids  to  a  king  of  the  Fifth  Dynasty. 

Formerly  this  Mastaba  stood  above  ground; 
it  is  now  entirely  buried  with  sand  from  the 
wind-swept  desert.  The  interior  has  been 
excavated;  its  walls  are  covered  with  remark- 
ably realistic  scenes  from  the  country  life  of 
the  deceased,  all  instinct  with  the  joy  of  life. 
The  hieroglyphics  are  beautifully  executed, 
the  lines  deeply  cut  and  well-spaced.  The 
entrance  is  a  small  vestibule  containing  two 
pillars  before  which  stands  a  statue  of  Thi 
in  long  wig  and  short  apron,  a  staff  in  one 
hand,  a  club  in  the  other.  Just  to  the  left 
is  a  closed  chamber  called  a  serdab,  which 
contains  several  more  statues  of  Thi,  and  to 
which  the  only  communication  is  by  a  small 
cleft  barely  wide  enough  to  pass  a  hand  to 
admit  incense. 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     119 

The  vestibule  gives  on  a  large  square  court, 
a  "hall  for  sacrifices  and  offerings  to  the  dead. 
Ten  pillars  support  the  roof.  In  the  floor 
of  such  a  court  is  usually  a  perpendicular  pit 
forty  to  eighty  feet  deep,  with  passage  at 
bottom  leading  to  the  mortuary  chamber 
proper.  The  passage  would  then  be  walled 
up  and  the  pit  filled  in  to  prevent  discovery. 
In  this  instance,  however,  we  descend  by  a 
steep  stairway  and  long  gallery  to  the  tomb- 
chamber  of  Thi,  a  room  twenty  feet  square 
and  twelve  high,  its  ceiling  upheld  by  two 
massive  pillars. 

Although  vestibule,  court,  and  passage 
were  all  covered  with  frescoes,  the  finest  work 
was  reserved  for  this  inner  chamber.  Behind 
it  is  a  second  more  secure  serdab,  likewise 
walled  in,  and  containing  a  statue  of  Thi 
intact  and  parts  of  broken  ones;  on  either 
side  of  the  opening  is  a  painting  of  a  man 
offering  incense  to  Thi. 

Along  the  west  wall  are  two  stone  stelse, 
shaped  like  doorways,  representing  the  en- 
trance to  the  realm  of  the  dead.  Before  the 
left  stela  is  a  horizontal  slab  which  served  as 
a  table  for  offerings.  The  frescoes  depict  the 
slaughtering  of  animals  and  the  presenting 
of  gifts.  Before  these  stelae  stood  statues  of 
Thi  and  his  wife;  the  former  we  had  already 


seen  in  the  Cairo  Museum.  (See  Appen- 
dix I.) 

An  Egyptian  officer  mounted  on  a  spirited 
dappled  gray  had  accompanied  the  party  to 
Sakkarah  as  escort.  Our  return  was  a  "  free 
for  all  "  race  —  the  guard  and  the  two  drago- 
mans leading  the  procession.  Our  burros 
were  very  tiny,  and  of  course  the  tallest  men 
always  bestrode  the  smallest  beasts.  Two 
gentlemen  were  thrown  headlong  by  the 
stumbling  of  their  mounts,  but  fortunately 
came  off  unhurt. 

Our  Conductor,  who  is  tall  and  well  pro- 
portioned, sits  his  steed  very  gingerly.  He 
assured  me  quite  soberly  that  he  is  not  made 
just  right;  that  the  upper  part  of  his  body 
is  in  fact  too  long  for  the  length  of  his  legs, 
so  that  he  feels  top-heavy  when  on  donkey- 
back.  There  are  others. 

The  donkeys,  utterly  unmindful  of  their 
riders'  wishes,  trotted  or  galloped  to  right  or 
left  as  pleased  themselves  or  the  Arab  boys, 
who  kept  close  at  their  heels  and  surrepti- 
tiously belaboured  them  in  the  rear.  I  was 
riding  along  quietly,  enjoying  the  landscape 
—  an  open  expanse  of  sand  and  sky  in  every 
direction  with  no  verdure  or  dwellings  near  to 
obstruct  the  vault  of  blue  above,  the  distant 
cliffs  and  low  mountain  ranges  showing  clear 


READY    FOR    THE    RACE    HOME. 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     121 

against  the  eastern  sky  —  and  my  burro  was 
slowly  picking  his  way  along  the  narrow  foot- 
path between  two  ploughed  fields,  when  sud- 
denly there  came  a  resounding  thwack,  and 
my  sleepy  little  beast  jumped  forward,  mend- 
ing his  pace  and  nearly  unseating  me.  Re- 
monstrance was  useless;  the  donkey  boy  was 
impatient  to  reach  home  and  his  fee. 

Miss  Martha,  though  eager  to  make  the 
excursion,  had  been  timid  and  doubtful  of  her 
ability  to  sit  so  small  an  animal.  We  had 
over-persuaded  her,  however,  and  after  sev- 
eral attempts,  for  one  hundred  and  eighty 
pounds  is  no  light  matter  to  be  hoisted  into 
a  saddle,  Hafiz  managed  to  mount  the  lady. 
She  had  stipulated  for  two  donkey  boys,  and 
was  assigned  a  couple  of  tall  youths  who  ran 
along  and  propped  her  up  on  each  side.  Thus 
supported  she  got  over  the  ground  at  a  pretty 
fair  pace.  The  necessity  of  jumping  so  much 
avoirdupois  into  the  saddle  caused  our  drago- 
man thereafter  to  discourage  our  heavy- 
weights from  going  on  further  excursions, 
but  we  continued  to  urge  Miss  Shinn  to  take 
all  the  shorter  trips. 

On  the  home  stretch  Miss  Martha  was  the 
last  in.  As  I  looked  back  I  saw  her  coming, 
her  bonnet  on  the  back  of  her  head.  Her  face, 
burned  red  by  the  heat  of  the  sun,  bore  a  look 


122     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

of  exquisite  anguish  as  she  gripped  her  two 
Arabs  tightly  about  the  neck.  The  weary 
donkey  ambled  gently  forward.  The  runners 
nearly  exhausted  by  strangulation,  and  anx- 
ious to  end  their  agony  as  soon  as  possible, 
kept  whacking  the  animal,  allowing  no  pauses 
despite  the  outcries  of  its  rider. 

B.  clung  to  her  donkey -boy  till  he  pleaded 
with  her  not  to  tear  the  clothes  off  his  back. 
It  is  immensely  amusing,  for  none  of  the 
inexperienced  will  own  to  being  afraid.  One 
little  Englishman  growing  confidential,  con- 
fessed to  B.  that  he  had  not  been  on  a  donkey 
for  nine  years.  Just  then  his  runner  laid  on 
with  a  heavy  stick,  the  donkey  leaped  for- 
ward —  and  the  gentleman  in  question  came 
a  cropper  backwards  in  the  sand. 

We  were  just  in  time  for  five  o'clock  tea 
which  is  served  on  the  upper  deck  in  the  open 
salon  amidships.  Easy  chairs,  table,  and 
piano  make  this  a  delightful  lounging  place, 
cozy  and  comfortable.  Here  Madam  Shinn 
and  two  or  three  elderly  people  had  spent  the 
day  writing  letters,  playing  chess,  and  read- 
ing their  Baedekers.  They  inquired  eagerly 
for  details  of  our  trip.  After  this  twelve 
mile  excursion,  we  feel  equal  to  whatever  is 
in  store  for  us  farther  up  the  Nile. 

The  sun  set  in  a  clear  sky  and  sent  up  over 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     123 

the  heavens  a  rich  lemon  glow  which  was 
reflected  on  sand  and  water.  Night  fell  sud- 
denly with  almost  no  twilight  intervening, 
and  it  instantly  turned  cold.  Canvas  awnings 
were  at  once  let  down  on  both  sides  of  the 
promenade  deck  and  electric  lights  turned  on, 
making  it  as  warm  and  bright  as  a  lady's 
drawing-room. 

Our  other  passengers  are  British,  with  the 
exception  of  a  young  bride  and  groom  from 
Chicago,  Mr.  Simmons  —  the  artist  from 
California  above  mentioned  —  a  Boston  edi- 
tor, and  a  lone  Spaniard  with  whom  I  have 
exchanged  a  few  words,  but  I  find  my  Span- 
ish rather  rusty. 

One  of  the  English  tourists  remarked  to 
me,  "  You  speak  different  than  the  lady  from 
Chicago,  —  you  pronounce  like  an  English- 
woman." I  could  have  told  her  there  was  no 
doubt  about  her  nationality  —  her  "  different 
than  "  proclaiming  her  a  Britisher  at  once. 


" S.  S.  Barneses"  on  the  Nile, 

Wednesday,  December  7th. 
TO-DAY  we  did  not  leave  the  ship,  but  have 
rested,  written  letters,  promenaded  the  deck, 
and  watched  the  scenery  fly  by,  the  channel 
being  close  in  shore.  We  have  had  a  perfect 
panorama  of  palms  all  day.  You  mustn't 
get  tired  of  hearing  about  palms,  for  they're 
all  there  is  in  the  shape  of  trees.  So  far  the 
big  dom  palm  and  the  date  are  the  only  vari- 
eties in  evidence.  The  latter,  stripped  of  all 
but  the  topmost  branches,  dominates  every- 
where—  not  in  small  clumps,  but  by  the 
thousand,  forming  a  perfect  forest  of  tall, 
spindling  trees.  Sometimes  a  cluster  of  seven 
will  rise  from  one  stump.  The  vista  into  the 
groves  seems  strangely  clean  and  clear,  for 
there  is  no  under-brush,  the  trees  rising 
straight  and  free  from  the  yellow  earth.  The 
fellah  values  his  date  palm  at  a  thousand  pias- 
tres, fifty  American  dollars.  The  natives 
build  fences  of  cane  about  them,  to  protect 
the  dates  while  drying  from  the  depredations 
of  wild  animals,  —  hyenas,  wolves  and  jackals. 

124 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     125 

The  cane  grown  in  this  district  is  for  sugar, 
and  the  many  tall  chimneys  we  pass  are  those 
of  sugar  factories.  String  after  string  of 
camels  hidden  under  loads  of  cane,  and  of 
donkeys  buried  under  bundles  of  these  same 
long  stalks,  pass  continually. 

Farther  up  the  valley  in  the  warmer  sections 
cotton  also  is  raised  for  export.  The  Kaffir 
corn,  distinguished  by  its  big  conical  tassel, 
attains  a  height  of  from  ten  to  twelve  feet; 
it  is  largely  cultivated,  and  makes  excellent 
fodder.  Our  sweet  American  corn  has  been 
tried,  and  yielded  a  fine  crop  the  first  year; 
the  second  year  it  lost  much  of  its  flavour,  and 
the  third  it  reverted  to  the  native  staple  —  all 
due  to  the  mischief  of  the  bees,  no  doubt. 

This  same  persistence  of  type  obtains  in 
everything  Egyptian.  The  strain  is  so  virile 
that  no  admixture  of  nations  can  obliterate 
the  racial  characteristics.  We  meet  in  mosque 
and  market  men  who  might  well  have  served 
as  models  for  the  sculptured  figures  on  the 
walls  of  ancient  tombs  and  temples. 

Twice  a  day  our  quiet  barefoot  sailors  swab 
the  decks.  In  early  afternoon  two  squads  go, 
three  abreast,  down  the  narrow  passage  with- 
out our  cabin  wielding  their  mops,  the  leader 
chanting  a  prayerful  strophe  to  which  the 
men  every  other  breath  sing  an  antiphonal 


126     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

chorus:  "  Hal-li'sah  Allah !  Hal-li'sah  Al'- 
lah!  "  again  and  again  -  "  Help  us,  O  Allah, 
Help  us!"  Its  minor  key  makes  the  chant 
sound  weird  and  sad,  but  the  work  is  done 
well  and  quickly.  In  advance  of  the  sextet 
always  walks  a  sailor  who  keeps  filling  his 
bucket  in  the  Nile  and  pouring  a  flood  upon 
men  and  deck.  Again  at  six  in  the  morning 
these  same  noiseless  workers  go  by  our  door 
cleaning  the  deck,  but  this  time  without  the 
solace  of  song. 

Enveloped  in  woollen  cowl  and  robe  of 
brown  and  white,  the  crew  make  picturesque 
figures  grouped  on  the  lower  deck  at  night. 
Although  our  ship  is  two  hundred  feet  long, 
there  is  small  space  forward;  however,  stand- 
ing above  at  sunset  I  saw  a  sailor  below 
spread  down  his  outer  robe,  step  upon  it  with 
unshod  feet,  after  bathing  them  in  the  river, 
and  begin  his  evening  prayer  to  Allah.  No 
matter  where  he  is  nor  who  there  is  to  observe 
him,  the  devout  Moslem  never  neglects  this 
exercise. 

After  drifting  so  many  days  and  nights  on 
the  bosom  of  this  mysterious  river  one  can 
better  understand  the  primitive  cosmogony 
of  the  primeval  Nilotes.  As  we  float  along 
between  desolate  strips  of  sterile  sand,  under 
the  burning  arch  of  heaven  upheld  east  and 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     127 

west  by  long  lines  of  barren  yellow  cliffs,  and 
surrounded  by  solitary  wastes,  we  seem  to 
have  arrived  at  some  Ultima  Thule,  —  to 
have  been  borne  back  to  that  elemental  hour 
before  time  began,  when  the  earth  was  with- 
out form  and  void.  To  her  early  children  this 
long  valley,  these  hills,  the  belt  of  blue  above, 
and  their  wonderful  life-giving  Nile  were 
country,  world  and  universe. 

His  curious  pantheon  the  ancient  Egyptian 
constructed  in  similar  wise.  This  narrow 
winding  valley  was  the  slender  attenuated 
god  Keb,  low  lying;  the  sky  above,  the  still 
greater  goddess  Nut.  Beneath  the  earth  an- 
other Nile  flowed  —  connecting  with  this  Nile 
at  the  First  Cataract.  The  sun  which  beat 
so  fiercely  overhead  was  worshipped  by  all 
tribes  alike,  although  under  different  forms 
and  by  various  names.  At  Edfu  Helios  was 
called  Horus  —  his  emblem  a  hawk  with  out- 
spread wings  flying  the  heavens  and  bearing 
a  sun-disc.  At  Denderah .  Apollo  was  a  solar 
child,  a  son  born  each  morning  of  the  sky 
goddess  Nut,  or  a  calf,  the  daily  offspring  of 
the  heavenly  cow.  At  Heliopolis  Re  reigned 
-  his  symbol  an  obelisk  or  a  beetle.  The  sky 
was  a  sea  over  which  each  dawn  the  solar  god 
radiant  with  youth  sailed  in  his  day-boat  ac- 
companied by  all  the  starry  host  of  disem- 


128     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

bodied  dead  rescued  by  Re.  At  the  decline 
of  day  the  god,  aged  and  feeble,  entered  his 
dusky  barge,  to  bring  brightness  and  joy  to 
the  spirits  of  the  underworld,  as  he  passed 
on  his  nightly  journey  from  west  to  east 
through  the  subterranean  caverns  of  the  un- 
derground Nile. 


"S.  S.  Rameses" 
Thursday,  December  8th. 
THIS  afternoon  we  landed  at  Beni  Hassan, 
where  we  were  greeted  by  a  great  onslaught 
from  the  donkey-boys,  who  kept  calling  to  us, 
"  Here  are  donkeys  on  the  stop! "  The  wait- 
ing burros  were  standing  ready  saddled  in  a 
long  pen,  those  nearest  the  gate  being  fur- 
nished with  men's  saddles;  the  dragomans, 
however,  insisted  the  ladies  should  mount  first. 
A  great  lashing  and  slashing  of  animals,  boys 
and  men  followed,  fierce  altercation  and  much 
bad  Arabic,  but  at  last  we  were  off  in  a  cloud 
of  dust,  this  time  with  two  donkey-boys  apiece. 
I  remonstrated  with  Abuh,  aged  fifteen,  and 
bade  him  send  back  Hassan,  aged  nine;  but 
both  explained  in  loud  voice  that  they  were 
brothers  —  both  had  Papa  Turah  and  Mamma 
Turah,  hence  were  indeed  brothers;  moreover, 
the  younger  spoke  the  better  English.  At  Sak- 
karah  all  the  donkeys  were  named  "  Yankee 
Doodle,"  but  at  Beni  Hassan  I  got  a  "  Ram- 
ses "  —  a  far  more  appropriate  cognomen  for 
an  Egyptian  burro.  Women  and  children 

129 


130     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

pursued  us  in  a  body  as  we  rode  through  their 
village,  all  singing  the  same  song,  "  Bakshish'! 
Bakshish"!  "  with  accent  on  the  last  syllable. 

After  the  party  had  dismounted  at  the 
Specs  Artemis  the  donkey-boys  crowded  so 
near  and  quarrelled  so  vociferously  that  Ha- 
fiz  had  to  crack  his  long  whip  repeatedly  to 
make  them  retreat  before  he  could  give  his 
little  speech  of  explanation.  The  tomb  con- 
sists of  a  single  large  chamber  cut  out  of  solid 
rock;  three  only  of  its  columns  are  left  to 
uphold  the  ceiling. 

A  quarter  of  an  hour's  ride  farther  brought 
us  to  the  cliffs  of  Beni  Hassan,  in  the  upper 
tier  of  which  had  been  cut  thirty-five  tomb- 
chambers.  Indeed  the  whole  hill-slope  was 
riddled  with  holes  —  mummy-pits  in  which 
the  poor  had  been  buried,  but  which  had  been 
reopened  and  robbed  of  their  inmates.  We 
had  a  stiff  climb  to  reach  the  cliffs,  picking 
our  way  between  yawning  pits  and  passing 
every  now  and  then  a  human  skull  or  thigh- 
bone that  had  been  thrown  up  on  the  sand 
and  left  to  bleach  in  the  sun. 

On  the  walls  of  one  tomb,  that  of  Khnum- 
hotep,  is  portrayed  a  company  of  Semitic 
men  and  women,  thirty-seven  in  all,  robed  in 
delicately  bordered  woollen  garments  of  vari- 
ous colours,  and  clad  in  leather  sandals.  They 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     131 

lead  gazelles  and  carry  metal  weapons  and 
harps  of  fine  workmanship.  The  men  are 
teachers,  and  they  bear  fragrant  cosmetics, 
much  prized  in  the  warm  Egyptian  climate; 
their  leader  is  one  Absha,  a  Hebrew. 

In  another  chamber  we  found  a  concave  six- 
teen-sided column  with  square  block  for  cap- 
ital and  flat  stone  for  base.  Could  this  have 
served  as  model  for  the  Doric  column  of  the 
Greeks?  The  inner  chambers  of  most  of  the 
tombs  have  a  deep  pit  for  secreting  the 
mummy  ladened  sarcophagus.  Over  the  tomb 
of  Khati  in  this  same  series  we  first  meet  the 
peculiar  Egyptian  column,  a  cluster  of  four 
stems  with  capital  of  lotus  buds,  bound  to- 
gether at  the  neck  and  painted  in  brilliant 
red,  yellow  and  blue. 

The  Babylonians  excelled  in  the  treatment 
of  masses  but  were  unacquainted  with  the  col- 
umn and  the  colonnade,  which  originated  in 
Egypt  —  Greece  to  the  contrary.  One  Pyr- 
amid temple  of  the  Fifth  Dynasty  employs 
huge  monoliths,  some  patterned  after  the 
palm,  the  spreading  branches  forming  the 
capital,  others  representing  bundles  of  papy- 
rus stalks  crowned  with  clusters  of  swelling 
buds  —  columns  perfect  in  proportion  and 
exquisite  in  detail. 

The  sacred  court  of  a  temple  of  the  An- 


132     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

cient  Empire  2000  B.  c.,  adorned  with  an  army 
of  these  stately  stones  of  faultless  symmetry 
and  perfect  spacing,  confutes  the  assertion 
that  the  Egyptians  knew  not  the  treatment  of 
voids,  and  establishes  their  priority  of  claim 
to  the  introduction  of  both  column  and  col- 
onnade. How  many  previous  ages  it  had 
taken  this  people  to  evolve  the  type,  who  can 
tell?  Column  and  colonnade,  with  giant  slab 
for  architrave,  comprise  the  essential  elements 
of  all  great  architecture. 

Soon  after  noon  we  tied  up  at  Assiut,  one 
of  the  largest  cities  on  the  Nile  above  Cairo. 
To  our  surprise,  we  found  a  limited  number 
of  victorias  instead  of  burros  in  waiting.  The 
palaces  of  the  Viceroy  and  the  various  foreign 
consuls  line  the  boulevard  fronting  the  river; 
and  the  palms,  acacias,  mimosas,  and  beauti- 
ful gardens  testify  likewise  to  the  wealth  and 
culture  of  the  inhabitants. 

We  drove  through  the  city  to  the  white 
cliffs  beyond  to  visit  more  tombs,  but  found 
them  less  interesting  than  those  of  Beni  Has- 
san. In  a  corner  of  one  vestibule,  however, 
stood,  minus  its  feet  and  with  bony  arms 
crossed  on  its  breast,  the  mummy  of  what  was 
once  a  man,  pathetic  in  its  helpless  desolation. 
Beside  it  lay  a  heap  of  mummied  animals  — 
cats,  wolves  and  jackals  —  all  of  which  had 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     133 

been  carefully  interred  by  ancient  Egyptians 
and  as  ruthlessly  resurrected  by  modern  van- 
dals. Their  presence  is  accounted  for  by  the 
fact  that  Assiut  was  in  ancient  times  the 
shrine  of  Wep-wat,  the  jackal-headed  god  of 
the  dead,  to  whom  the  jackal,  the  wolf  of  the 
desert,  was  sacred.  This  worship  of  animals 
was  a  cult  which  arose  during  the  decline  of 
the  Egyptian  Empire.  When  first  intro- 
duced the  figures  of  animals  were  regarded 
as  types  of  attributes  only  —  not  until  later 
were  they  revered  as  idols. 

Higher  up  is  another  row  of  tombs,  the 
second  of  which,  known  as  the  Soldier's 
Tomb,  has  painted  on  its  walls  squads  of  in- 
fantry carrying  spears  and  shields.  In  a  still 
more  remote  spot  there  was  recently  opened 
a  chamber  from  the  shaft  of  which  were  taken 
the  little  wooden  soldiers  now  in  the  Cairo 
Museum.  Each  wore  a  heavy  wig  to  protect 
the  head,  and  carried  a  leather  shield  and  a 
long  spear  terminating  in  a  leaf -shaped  point. 

Pushing  on  to  the  brow  of  the  hill  with  the 
assistance  of  the  ubiquitous  Arab  boys,  we 
were  rewarded  with  a  glimpse  of  the  Sahara 
Desert  —  waves  of  pinkish-yellow  sand  undu- 
lating into  the  distance  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach.  Before  us  lay  a  Mussulman  cemetery; 
through  its  narrow  lanes  men  and  women 


134     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

were  passing  on  their  way  to  pray  at  the 
small  dome-covered  tombs  before  which  they 
laid  food  and  drink. 

Returning,  the  public  highway,  raised 
above  the  surrounding  fields,  was  thronged 
with  vehicles,  people  on  foot,  and  families  in 
long  two-wheeled  carts.  The  town  square  of 
Assiut  was  boisterous  with  people  making 
holiday.  A  crowd  of  fifty  or  sixty  formed 
a  circle  about  two  men  who  were  engaged  in 
making  passes  at  one  another  with  long  poles. 
When  one  was  downed,  a  fresh  competitor 
would  enter  the  lists. 

A  crude  merry-go-round  was  taken  posses- 
sion of  by  the  delighted  people.  The  boys 
pointed  to  these  machines  with  pride,  and  our 
dragoman  asked  if  we  had  any  such  wonders 
in  America.  While  we  looked  on  an  Arab 
ran  up  to  the  carriage,  threw  down  his  robe, 
spread  out  his  cards,  and  began  telling  our 
fortunes. 

From  this  scene  of  merry-making  we  drove 
to  the  Presbyterian  Mission,  where  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Alexander  have  lived  for  twenty-eight 
years.  They  received  us  graciously  and  told 
us  of  their  work.  Their  church  has  a  mem- 
bership of  five  hundred,  and  the  boys'  school 
accommodates  four  hundred  boarders  and 
a  hundred  day-scholars  —  the  pupils  being, 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     135 

for  the  most  part,  the  children  of  the  con- 
gregation, converts  from  the  Coptic  faith. 
Although  their  expenses  are  great  the  estab- 
lishment is  almost  entirely  self-supporting. 
Its  scholars  are  sent  all  over  Egypt.  Now 
that  the  Christian  schools  have  become  so 
popular,  the  Mohammedans  are  subscribing 
money  for  more  advanced  teaching  in  their 
own  institutions,  which  are  still,  however, 
mostly  for  the  study  of  the  Koran. 

The  school  charges  a  small  tuition.  The 
boys  are  fed  beans,  lentils,  bread  and  molas- 
ses, and  little  else.  Students  who  pay  extra 
are  furnished  with  table-cloth,  napkins,  knives 
and  forks,  and  are  taught  how  to  use  them. 
There  is  also  a  school  for  girls,  and  the  boys 
often  stipulate  that  the  girls  whom  they  are 
to  marry  shall  first  receive  instruction  there. 

Moslem  women,  Mrs.  Alexander  says,  have 
a  hard  time;  a  follower  of  the  Prophet  may 
have  four  wives  and  as  many  concubines  as 
he  can  support.  If  a  wife  displeases  her  hus- 
band, he  has  only  to  say  before  one  witness  - 
even  a  servant  —  "I  divorce  this  woman!" 
and  she  is  sent  home.  He  will  support  her 
children  for  a  time,  but  ultimately  they  too 
are  cast  off.  It  is  customary  for  several 
brothers  and  their  large  families  to  live  to- 
gether, an  arrangement  naturally  resulting  in 


136     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

much  quarrelling  and  discord.  His  religion 
forbids  the  Moslem  to  taste  liquor,  but  few 
observe  that  law.  When  invited  to  a  foreign 
dinner  or  reception,  Mohammedan  officials  are 
said  to  drink  like  fish. 


"  S.  S.  Rameses" 
Saturday,  December  10. 

WE  did  not  leave  Assiut  until  ten  this 
morning,  which  delighted  the  peddlers,  who 
spread  down  their  wares  on  the  high  river- 
bank  and  kept  up  a  continual  advertising  of 
clay  pipes,  gold  and  silver  bangles,  and  Cop- 
tic veils  —  all  specialties  of  the  town.  These 
veils  —  the  same  gorgeous  affairs  as  those  at 
the  Cairo  wedding  —  are  of  cotton  or  silk 
net  so  heavily  clamped  with  gold  and  silver 
that  one  wonders  they  do  not  tear. 

To-day  we  made  no  landings,  but  remained 
on  our  luxurious  little  steamer.  If  anything 
is  wanted  we  have  only  to  clap  our  hands, 
"  clap  hands  till  somebody  comes."  It  is  a 
delightful  way  in  which  to  pass  one's  days 
for  a  season  —  not  a  care  but  to  go  to  meals ; 
nothing  to  do  but  gaze  at  the  flying  banks  of 
the  Nile,  and  see  village  after  village  pass, 
palm-grove  after  palm-grove,  and  cane-field 
after  cane-field  swim  by. 

The  Nile  is  as  yellow  and  muddy  as  the 
Tiber.  The  rich  silt  brought  down  in  solution 

137 


138     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

by  the  current  is  precipitated  at  each  over- 
flow on  the  surrounding  fields.  Herodotus 
spoke  truth  when  he  called  Egypt  "  the  gift 
of  the  Nile."  So  swiftly  flows  the  river  that 
our  steamer  is  able  to  make  but  seventy  miles 
a  day  headway  against  the  current,  although 
steaming  from  five  in  the  morning  till  ten  at 
night.  As  there  are  no  lighthouses  we  tie  up 
at  dusk  and  lie  by  till  dawn,  since  the  pilot 
must  see  his  course,  The  river  meanders  far 
and  wide,  but  the  channel,  in  most  places,  is 
narrow  and  shallow.  So  far  we  have  stuck 
in  the  mud  but  twice  —  once  at  five  in  the 
morning  when  we  lost  our  anchor  and  were 
delayed  over  an  hour  in  getting  away. 

The  Nile  is  from  one  to  four  miles  wide, 
while  the  fertile  strip  it  irrigates  varies  in 
width  from  a  few  feet  to  eight  or  nine  miles. 
To  the  early  Egyptians  their  river  was  a 
milch-cow  sustaining  the  land  with  her  pre- 
cious moisture.  The  cow-goddess,  Hathor,  or 
Isis,  was  the  emblem  of  the  fertility  of  the 
Nile. 

The  white  limestone  cliffs  to  the  west,  rising 
a  mile  or  two  back  of  the  river,  are  honey- 
combed with  tombs  and  mummy-pits,  which 
look  from  the  ship  like  holes  where  wolves 
might  lurk  or  jackals  howl.  Nearer  inspec- 
tion shows  them  clean-cut,  a  square  block 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     139 

having  been  removed  for  some  temple  or  pyr- 
amid, or  to  make  a  tomb  for  an  ancient 
Egyptian.  Near  by  along  the  sand-dunes  in 
shallow  water  stand  numberless  tall  blue 
crane,  the  same  species  as  those  of  our  Cali- 
fornia marshes. 

The  wells,  of  which  the  shaduf  is  the  most 
common,  are  a  constant  source  of  entertain- 
ment. In  some  places  they  occur  every  fifty 
yards  along  the  bank.  Tied  to  a  beam  rest- 
ing on  well-posts,  made  of  bundles  of  cane- 
stalks  caked  round  with  mud,  is  the  well- 
sweep  —  a  pole  or  the  trunk  of  a  palm  tree 
-weighted  at  one  end  with  a  ball  of  adobe. 
The  bucket  is  a  reed  hoop  from  which  de- 
pends a  skin  with  deep  pouch  in  the  centre. 
A  native,  stripped  to  the  waist,  will  stand 
all  day  long  working  his  shaduf,  lowering  the 
bucket  into  the  pool  below  and  emptying  it 
into  the  field  above.  Often  there  are  three 
tiers  of  wells  with  two  well-sweeps  to  a  cross- 
beam, each  manipulated  by  a  fellah,  who 
seems  tireless,  working  from  dawn  till  dark. 

The  sakkiyeh  or  water-wheel,  is  another  con- 
trivance for  lifting  water.  These  sakkiyehs 
consist  of  two  wheels;  one  large  and  vertical, 
thirty  feet  in  diameter.  Kunning  in  the 
groove  of  its  rim  is  a  circular  chain  set  with 
a  series  of  clay  buckets  which  scoop  up  the 


140     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

water  as  they  descend  and  empty  it  above 
as  the  wheel  revolves.  This  first  wheel  ro- 
tates upon  a  horizontal  one,  which  is  turned  by 
a  donkey.  We  have  just  passed  such  a  sak- 
kiyeh  worked  by  a  camel.  It  seems  an  indig- 
nity for  so  noble  an  animal  to  be  bound  to  so 
ignominious  a  circuit;  a  donkey  would  surely 
have  sufficed  —  and  a  small  one  at  that.  The 
fellah  who  owns  a  sakkiyeh  accounts  himself 
rich  and  is  the  envy  of  all  his  less  fortunate 
neighbours. 

Many  of  the  wells  are  most  picturesque, 
being  shaded  by  pergolas,  with  columns  of 
mud,  over  which  vines  make  a  welcome  shade 
for  man  and  beast,  as  the  stately  camel  or 
patient  ox  slowly  turns  the  creaking  wheel  in 
his  tireless  round,  while  a  small  boy,  sitting 
cross-legged  on  the  rim  of  the  horizontal 
wheel,  stick  in  hand,  keeps  the  animal  to  his 
task.  Occasionally  we  see  a  sakkiyeh  operated 
by  both  an  ox  and  a  camel,  one  on  each  side. 
This  latter  beast  of  the  desert  was  not  known 
to  the  Egypt  of  the  Pharaohs,  being  a  later 
importation  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans. 

Every  town  has  its  favourite  watering- 
place.  At  sunset  groups  of  black-robed 
women  bearing  empty  jars,  pointed  at  the 
base,  and  laid  horizontally  on  a  circular  head- 
piece of  cloth,  come  trooping  Indian-file  down 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     141 

the  narrow  foot  path  of  the  bank  to  fill  them 
in  the  Nile.  Some  are  content  to  dip  their 
vessels  from  a  rock  near  shore,  but  the  wiser 
virgins  wade  out  to  the  fresher  water  of  the 
current.  When  filled  a  friendly  hand  is  needed 
to  lift  the  olla  to  its  owner's  head ;  once  placed 
there,  slightly  tilted,  she  walks  homeward  bear- 
ing it  aloft  with  the  ease  and  grace  of  a  Hebe. 
These  twilight  groups,  with  their  beautiful 
urns,  make  charming  pictures  silhouetted 
against  the  oriole-tinted  sky,  as  they  turn  to 
gaze  at  our  passing  steamer. 

The  villages  remind  me  of  the  Indian  settle- 
ments of  our  Western  States.  Most  of  them 
are  one-story  huts,  the  walls  of  mud  bricks 
sun-baked,  with  a  few  stalks  of  cane  for  roof. 
The  goats  and  fowls  take  to  the  roof.  Natives 
stand  knee-deep  in  mire  working  the  clay  for 
the  bricks,  their  arms  caked  with  mud  to  the 
elbows. 

Yesterday  we  ran  across  two  or  three  herds 
of  goats,  the  first  we  have  seen,  for  almost 
all  these  animals  have  been  killed  to  furnish 
skins  for  the  water-carriers.  A  patch  is 
placed  over  the  tail.  The  skin  is  filled  in  the 
Nile  or  at  the  street-pump,  which  is  presided 
over  by  an  Arab  sitting  tailor-fashion  in  a 
little  wooden  box,  to  whom  the  carrier  pays 
a  small  fee.  The  peddler  then  goes  the 


142     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

rounds  of  the  streets,  holding  the  neck  of  the 
goat-skin  twisted  in  his  hand,  ready  to  serve 
a  customer  at  a  moment's  notice,  from  one  of 
the  half  dozen  glasses  slung  round  his  belt. 

The  sail-boat  of  the  Nile  is  unique;  in  the 
distance  its  crossed  lateen  sails  resemble  a 
swallow  resting  for  a  moment  on  the  water 
with  wings  spread  ready  for  flight.  Nothing 
more  picturesque  can  be  imagined  than  a  fleet 
of  these  gliding  away  before  one. 

The  boats  turn  up  abruptly  at  the  bow, 
while  a  big  rudder  swings  from  the  square 
stern.  A  wide  board  along  the  side  keeps  the 
cargo  from  falling  into  the  river.  The  freight 
consists  of  cane,  immense  earthen  jars,  cotton 
or  grain  loaded  en  masse  or  in  sacks.  The 
pottery,  a  ware  similar  to  our  Spanish  ollas, 
is  fragile  and  cumbersome.  The  big  sail- 
boats are  fitted  with  wide  nets  of  open  mesh, 
capable  of  carrying  many  cubic  feet  of  this 
brittle  merchandise,  which  bulges  out  on 
either  side,  overhanging  the  water  three  or 
four  feet  beyond  the  gunwales. 

Vessels  loaded  with  grain  are  an  equally 
novel  sight.  A  huge  sack  or  pit  eight  or  ten 
feet  in  diameter  and  as  many  high  is  made 
in  the  centre  of  the  boat  with  strips  of  yellow 
matting.  Into  this  the  golden  grain  is 
poured.  Often  two  such  vessels  are  lashed 


SAIL-BOATS    ON    THE    NILE. 


MARKET-BOAT    ON    THE    NILE. 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     143 

together  side  by  side,  and  sailed  down  to 
Cairo.  The  wind  is  usually  strong  enough 
to  drive  the  sail -boats  up  stream;  returning 
they  ride  with  the  current.  When  becalmed, 
the  pilot  poles  his  boat  along;  or  if  the  water 
is  deep  he  must  resort  to  tracking;  two  or 
three  sailors  swim  ashore  carrying  a  line  in 
their  teeth,  and  then  follow  the  tow-path; 
when  the  road  vanishes  up  a  precipice  they 
plunge  into  the  river  again. 

Now  and  then  we  pass  a  large  vessel,  its 
long  towline  falling  from  the  head  of  the 
topmast,  while  the  six  or  eight  bridles  tied 
to  the  shore-end  fit  over  the  shoulders  of  as 
many  men,  who  laboriously  wend  their  way 
along  the  bank  with  heads  bent  like  hounds 
straining  at  a  leash.  Other  boats  are  rowed 
by  men  standing  at  the  oars  stepping  back- 
ward and  forward  as  they  ply  them. 

Wood  is  a  scarce  article  in  Egypt  and 
much  too  precious  to  burn.  The  dung  of 
cattle  is  substituted  for  fuel  and  makes  a 
quick  fire.  The  collecting  of  it  is  the  especial 
business  of  little  girls  who  sweep  the  refuse 
from  the  streets  into  small  baskets  which  they 
bear  on  their  heads.  After  being  mixed  with 
clay  and  made  into  cakes  it  is  plastered  on 
the  sides  of  the  mud  huts  to  dry. 

To  fertilize  the  land  the  fellaheen  rely  on 


144     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

the  guano  of  pigeons,  large  flocks  of  them 
being  kept  for  the  purpose;  yet  it  costs  more 
than  it  comes  to,  as  the  birds  consume  more 
than  they  produce.  Every  town  has  a  dozen 
or  more  peculiar  pylon-shaped  turrets,  or 
pigeon-towers.  They  are  made  of  rows  of 
earthen  pots,  laid  on  their  sides  and  piled  tier 
on  tier,  the  whole  set  in  a  mortar  of  mud. 
These  mounds  make  capital  nesting-places 
with  a  horizontal  fringe  of  twigs  at  the  mouth 
of  the  jars  for  the  birds  to  perch  upon. 

The  fast  of  Ramadan,  which  has  lasted 
a  month,  closed  two  nights  ago  with  the 
advent  of  the  full  moon,  the  signal  for  be- 
ginning the  three  days'  feast  of  Bairam,  the 
Mohammedan  Christmas.  All  day  long 
swarms  of  boats  crowded  to  the  guards  with 
men,  black-robed  and  white-turbaned,  —  their 
women  folk  stowed  away  iri  the  holds  below, 
—  were  crossing  the  river  to  pray  in  the  ceme- 
teries on  the  western  banks  of  the  Nile. 

A  broad  sheet  of  shallow  water,  a  level 
stand  of  corn,  a  taller  even  growth  of  dom 
palm  stretching  for  miles  north  and  south 
between  long  ranges  of  low  hills  and  pali- 
saded cliffs,  now  yellow,  now  pink,  or  blue 
from  a  passing  cloud,  with  overhead  the  soft 
blue-gray  sky,  all-embracing  —  this  is  Egypt. 

We  have  just  been  training  our  glasses  on 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     145 

various  waterfowl;  a  flock  of  clumsy  pelican 
circle  overhead,  then  dive  perpendicularly  for 
prey.  Close  in  shore  stand  a  line  of  dainty 
white  ibis,  with  a  scattering  of  tall  blue  crane, 
watching  for  unwary  fish. 

Our  cabin  and  table  boys  are  gowned  to 
the  ankles  in  long  white  cotton  brightened  by 
touches  of  red,  their  scarlet  slippers  and 
broad  sash  of  crimson  serge  repeating  the 
colour  of  the  flaming  tarbush.  All  affect  a 
moustache  but  disdain  a  beard.  We  took 
turns  feeing  the  table  steward;  when  one  of 
the  party  forgot  this  delicate  little  attention 
the  boy  in  most  injured  tones  jogged  the 
memory  of  the  delinquent  with  the  remon- 
strance, "  Nobody  no  give  me  no  think  this 
two  days! " 

Every  evening  as  we  sit  at  table  over  our 
dessert  Hafiz,  the  big  broad-shouldered  drag- 
oman, comes  rolling  in  like  a  sailor;  his  fez 
nearly  touches  the  ceiling  as  he  takes  his  stand 
in  the  centre  of  the  low  cabin,  the  bland 
smile  which  illumines  his  good-natured  coun- 
tenance disclosing  a  double  row  of  large  white 
teeth.  He  invariably  begins  his  after-dinner 
speech  descriptive  of  the  sights  of  the  morrow 
with  the  preface:  "Ladies  and  gentlemen! 
To-morrow  you  will  be  called  at  seven;  break- 
fast at  half  after  seven.  At  eight  we  will 


146     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

leave  the  boat  and  proceed  on  donkeys  for 
half  an  hour  to  the  famous  Temple  of  Den- 
derah,"  etc.,  etc.,  reciting  with  lazy  drawl  all 
the  facts  and  history  of  the  ruin  to  be  visited 
as  he  has  memorized  them  from  the  guide- 
book. Hafiz  not  only  has  a  remarkable  mem- 
ory, but  reads  all  the  simpler  hieroglyphics  as 
well.  Each  night  he  closes  his  recital  with 
some  new  verse  reminding  us  of: 

"  The  little  red  tickette, 
O  do  not  forget  it ! 
For  if  you  don't  take  it, 
You  can't  pass  the  wickette  !  " 

His  final  injunction  is  ever  the  same:  "No 
donkey-racing  allowed." 


On  the  Nile, 
Monday,  December 

THIS  morning  we  were  up  betimes,  and  by 
eight-thirty  were  mounted  on  Egyptian  po- 
nies bound  for  the  temple  of  Denderah,  our 
first  large  temple. 

Not  far  from  the  boat  a  path  led  by  a  short 
cut  through  a  field  of  tall  corn  where  we 
could  ride  in  delicious  shade  dodging  the  lean- 
ing stalks.  As  we  turned  into  the  field,  how- 
ever, the  owner  stood  ready  to  dispute  our 
passage,  and  brought  down  his  stout  staff 
upon  the  head  of  my  donkey-boy,  who  hap- 
pened to  be  in  the  lead.  Immediately  all  the 
other  boys  rushed  forward,  while  the  retain- 
ers of  the  farmer  likewise  rallied  to  his  as- 
sistance, and  the  battle  raged  fast  and  furi- 
ous for  some  minutes.  The  farmer  and  his 
aids  were  being  worsted  with  some  blood  let, 
when  the  local  official,  attending  our  party, 
came  galloping  up  on  a  fine  gray  steed, 
stopped  the  fight,  and  himself  led  us  through 
the  corn.  We  felt  it  wrong  to  trespass,  but 
the  donkey-boys  explained  that  the  law  com- 

147 


148     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

pels  a  man  to  leave  a  public  road  through  his 
field.  This  man  had  planted  the  whole  way 
with  corn  and  was  objecting  to  our  passing 
single  file  along  one  furrow.  Our  elderly 
English  M.  P.  kept  chuckling  to  himself  all 
morning,  "Oh,  but  it  was  a  beautiful  fight! 
—  only  sticks,  no  rapiers!  " 

A  ride  of  twenty  minutes  brought  us  to  a 
massive  pylon,  half  buried  in  the  debris  of 
centuries.  Its  gateway  admitted  to  a  court 
covering  a  large  area.  From  earliest  Egyp- 
tian history  this  spot  has  been  held  sacred. 
The  present  edifice  was  erected  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Christian  era  in  the  time  of  Cleo- 
patra; its  restoration  and  completion  were 
due  to  the  Emperors  Domitian  and  Trajan. 

On  the  eastern  side  the  accumulated  dust 
of  two  thousand  years  has  levelled  the  roof 
with  the  earth,  and  on  it  the  fellaheen  have 
built  a  whole  village  of  mud  huts.  The 
northern  entrance,  however,  is  buried  only  to 
the  top  of  the  balustrade  which  rises  two- 
thirds  the  height  of  the  tall  pillars  of  the  ves- 
tibule. Into  this  hall,  therefore,  we  had  to 
descend  by  a  long  flight  of  steps,  being  thus 
able  to  examine  close  at  hand  the  details  of 
the  great  columns  which  are  sculptured  from 
base  to  abacus  with  full-length  figures  nearly 
life-size,  and  are  crowned  with  curious  four- 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     149 

sided  Hathor-headed  capitals.  The  temple 
was  sacred  to  the  supreme  goddess  Isis,  who 
as  mother  of  Horus  and  as  associated  with 
Athor,  goddess  of  mirth  and  beauty,  is  here 
revered  as  Hathor,  the  Egyptian  Aphrodite. 
The  hawk-headed  Horus,  the  lad  with  the 
side-lock,  the  youth  with  his  finger  in  his 
mouth,  also  finds  place  on  these  walls  as  son 
of  Isis  and  husband  of  Athor. 

Taught  by  the  ancient  Egyptians,  and  call- 
ing themselves  Ptolemies,  the  Greco-Romans, 
heirs  of  Athens  and  the  Parthenon,  restored 
and  completed  the  temple  of  Denderah  in  the 
style  indigenous  in  Egypt,  and  on  a  scale 
commensurate  with  the  magnitude  of  the  tem- 
ples of  the  Pharaohs,  their  acquaintance  with 
a  more  perfect  architecture  and  a  more  ex- 
quisite art  being  betrayed  only  by  greater 
delicacy  of  line  and  more  sensitive  touch  in 
their  treatment  of  the  incised  reliefs  covering 
the  walls. 

I  wish  I  could  fitly  convey  to  you  some- 
thing of  the  impression  made  upon  me  by  this 
noble  hall. 

The  twenty-four  columns  are  spaced  in  six 
rows  of  four  each  throughout  the  hall;  col- 
umns and  walls  are  covered  alike  with  reliefs 
representing  gods  and  kings  and  extending 
around  the  entire  wall  in  four  horizontal  se- 


150     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

ries  averaging  four  feet  in  height;  below  is 
a  deep  dado  of  rushes  and  growing  plants 
and  above  a  wide  frieze.  The  division  of  wall 
space  is  novel  and  imposing. 

The  outlines  of  the  incised  designs  being 
deeply  cut  and  the  figures  rounded  up  in  the 
centre  give  a  depth  and  fulness  of  form,  an 
effect  intensified  by  the  light  falling  upon 
them  from  above,  while  the  dust  of  the  desert 
sifting  lightly  over  the  surface  softens  the 
whole  with  its  velvet  touch.  Bits  of  colour 
still  remaining  —  blue,  red  and  green  —  show 
how  splendid  these  walls  must  once  have  been. 

In  its  evolution  Egyptian  sculpture  passed 
through  successive  stages,  from  mere  drawing 
in  outline,  incision  of  the  rock  surface  and 
chiselling  of  the  design  in  low  relief,  to  the 
cutting  of  the  figure  in  the  round,  clear  of 
the  wall,  so  that  it  stood  erect  without  sup- 
port. Beyond  that  their  art  did  not  go;  they 
made  little  attempt  to  indicate  the  anatomy 
of  the  human  form  which  they  carved  with 
childish  simplicity,  leaving  it  lumpy  and 
wooden.  This  problem  the  Greeks,  the  na- 
tion of  sculptors,  although  developing  much 
later,  early  met  and  mastered.  Nevertheless 
the  Egyptian  was  long  the  only  Oriental 
artist  of  early  history  who  could  carve  the 
form  of  man  in  stone. 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     151 

While  he  loved  beauty  in  nature,  fashion- 
ing his  drinking  cup  after  the  lotus  and  carv- 
ing his  chair  leg  like  that  of  an  ox,  the  Egyp- 
tian knew  nothing  of  art  for  art's  sake,  but 
shaped  his  block  of  marble  or  more  difficult 
granite  with  a  very  definite  practical  pur- 
pose. To  the  sculptor  the  head  meant  the 
man,  and  he  tried  by  every  device  known  to 
art  and  science  to  render  the  features  with 
utmost  verisimilitude,  impelled  thereto  by  the 
curious  religious  superstition  that  the  stone 
must  be  made  to  fit,  since  it  was  to  clothe  the 
soul  of  his  patron  during  immortality.  He 
wrought 

"  To  fashion  the  birth-robes  for  them 
Who  are  just  born,  being  dead." 

This  explains  that  wonderful  life-likeness  of 
the  Memphite  portrait  statues  of  the  Old 
Empire,  the  accurate  perfection  of  which  art 
has  never  been  surpassed.  The  canons  of 
sculpture  being  fixed  thus  early,  the  art  of 
later  dynasties  was  mere  stereotyped  copy  of 
set  smile  and  prescribed  posture  —  any  inno- 
vation in  expression  or  attitude  of  idol  or 
image,  either  of  king  or  god,  being  punished 
as  impiety. 

The  ceiling  of  the  Denderah  Temple  typi- 
fies heaven  and  is  peculiarly  Egyptian.  The 


152     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

long  slim  figure  of  the  sky  goddess,  Nut, 
extends  the  length  of  the  ceiling,  like  the 
letter  "  E,"  her  arms  reaching  across  one  end, 
her  feet  over  the  other.  The  early  Egyptian 
dwellers  in  this  section  of  the  Nile  valley 
imagined  in  the  heaven  a  huge  female  figure 
so  elongated  that  standing  tiptoe  on  the  east- 
ern horizon  her  body  arched  over  the  at- 
mosphere until  her  finger-tips  touched  the 
farthest  western  limits  of  the  land.  Shu,  god 
of  the  air,  stood  beneath  with  uplifted  arms 
supporting  her  body  which  was  studded  with 
stars,  while  Keb,  the  earth-god  lying  below 
with  foot  and  hand  joining  those  of  the  sky- 
goddess  Nut,  completed  the  cosmos-kings. 
Each  night  Nut  swallows  the  sun  which  is 
seen  entering  her  mouth.  After  traversing 
her  body  the  orb  re-issues  from  her  lap  new- 
born each  morning. 

The  inner  great  hall  is  supported  by  six 
splendid  columns  with  varied  capitals,  in  the 
form  of  the  blossoming  lotus,  the  bending 
papyrus,  and  the  long  curving  branches  of 
the  palm.  The  walls  are  likewise  divided  into 
horizontal  tiers  with  accompanying  dado  and 
frieze,  the  symmetry  of  the  orders  equally 
fine.  These  temples  are  modelled  in  style 
and  proportion  after  those  of  the  more  an- 
cient Pharaohs  which  they  replaced  and  re- 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT      153 

stored.  The  builders  of  such  halls  must  needs 
have  been  a  superior  race  to  have  planned 
such  magnificent  structures. 

The  golden  images  and  sacred  barges  were 
kept  in  the  small  dark  sanctuary  beyond,  into 
which  the  god-king  or  high  priest  only  was 
privileged  to  enter,  and  he  but  once  a  year. 
On  one  side  is  the  chamber  for  the  gods' 
wardrobes,  their  sacred  wreaths  and  perfumes. 

Again  we  were  given  candles  and  one  by 
one  crept  down  a  low  narrow  stairway  to  the 
crypt,  we  women  descending  backward,  the 
stout  ones  giving  up  the  quest,  allowing  dis- 
cretion to  curb  curiosity. 

A  number  of  small  crypts  or  closets  had 
been  left  in  the  thickness  of  the  walls  for  the 
hiding  of  images  and  treasure.  All  are  orna- 
mented with  exquisite  bas-reliefs,  far  finer 
and  of  a  period  nearly  a  century  earlier  than 
those  of  the  great  halls  above. 

Following  the  sculptured  procession  on  the 
wall,  we  climbed  by  an  easy  stairway  to  the 
roof  in  which  were  occasional  openings  left 
to  light  the  rooms  below.  The  descending 
procession  of  another  series  of  bas-reliefs 
would  return  us  to  the  hypostyle.  Above,  on 
the  roof,  were  a  few  small  chambers.  On  the 
walls  of  one  were  depicted  the  rites  by  which 
the  resurrection  of  Osiris  was  celebrated;  and 


154     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

on  the  ceiling  of  another  had  been  found  the 
only  circular  map  of  the  heavens  known  in 
Egypt.  It  is  Roman  and  dates  from  35  A.  D. 

In  this  land  of  little  rain,  of  clear  skies  and 
unclouded  nights,  a  land  where  the  harvest 
waits  on  the  river  —  the  rise  and  fall  of  tides 
regulated  by  the  movements  of  the  moon- 
men  early  learned  to  observe  the  heavens,  to 
follow  the  stars  in  their  courses,  and  count  the 
cycles  of  earth's  pale  satellite.  It  was  not 
strange  therefore  that  this  agricultural  people 
should  have  been  the  first  to  discover  the 
length  of  the  sidereal  year,  which  period  they 
fixed  at  365  days,  with  an  added  day  every 
fourth  year.  With  a  cunning  almost  uncanny/ 
they  knew  to  divide  the  year  into  twelve  months 
of  thirty  days  each,  instead  of  reckoning  by 
the  lunar  month  of  most  primitive  peoples — - 
intercalating  five  sacred  feast  days  at  the  end 
of  each  year. 

Julius  Csesar  adopted  this  Egyptian  cal- 
endar, redistributing  the  extra  day  among  the 
months  —  a  doubtful  reform  some  consider 
—  and  re-christened  it  "  Julian."  Gregory 
XIII  in  1582  made  a  further  slight  change, 
giving  final  form  to  this  very  calendar  which 
is  the  one  now  used  by  the  whole  civilized 
world,  Russia  excepted. 

The  Egyptians  had  estimated  the  year  as 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     155 

beginning  in  July  on  the  day  when  Sirius 
rose  at  sunrise  in  the  latitude  of  the  southern 
Delta  —  which  heliacal  rising  of  Sirius  mod- 
ern astronomers  can  compute  within  four 
years  according  to  our  standard  Year  of 
Grace.  Our  boasted  modern  calendar  there- 
fore was  calculated  and  observed  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Nile  in  the  year  4241  B.  c.  —  the  earli- 
est fixed  date  known  to  history. 

In  making  the  outer  circuit  of  this  temple 
of  the  Egyptian  Aphrodite  there  confronted 
us  from  its  south  wall  the  famous  sculpture 
of  Cleopatra,  its  most  ardent  devotee  and 
Egypt's  greatest  queen,  —  she  who  reigned  by 
the  willing  homage  of  her  subjects  and  who, 
when  taken  captive,  subdued  the  haughty 
rulers  of  the  world  by  the  spell  of  her  beauty. 
Drawn  larger  than  life,  with  almond-shaped 
eyes,  curved  nose,  and  rounded  form  —  her 
full  lips  wearing  the  stereotyped  smile  of  the 
conventional  Egyptian  figure  —  Cleopatra  is 
depicted  in  the  glory  of  conscious  woman- 
hood, ruling  as  much  by  personal  charm  as 
sovereign  right.  She  wears  the  insignia  of 
Isis  and  of  Egypt,  the  disc  and  the  cow's 
horns,  the  asp  and  the  crook.  Csesarion,  her 
son  by  Julius  Csesar,  joins  her  in  offering 
homage  to  Hathor.  The  name  of  this  great 
queen  written  in  Greek  and  in  hieroglyphics 


156     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

on  the  walls  of  Philee,  above  the  first  Cataract, 
which  we  are  to  visit  later,  was  potent  to  unlock 
the  charmed  secrets  of  Egypt's  most  archaic 
writing.  Above  the  Cleopatra  group  are  two 
massive  projections,  evidently  water-spouts, 
carved  in  the  shape  of  lions'  heads. 

Near  the  main  entrance  of  this  Denderah 
Temple  is  a  small  peristyle  chamber  called 
the  Birth  House,  which  was  sacred  to  the 
worship  of  the  son  of  Hathor  and  Horus; 
such  chambers  are  found  near  all  great  tem- 
ples of  the  Ptolemaic  period. 

Around  the  hillock  of  rubbish  to  the  right 
of  the  pylon,  two  hundred  men  and  boys  were 
busy  excavating.  A  tall  stout  Nubian, 
blacker  than  a  negro,  stood  on  the  edge  of 
the  pit,  whip  in  hand,  urging  on  with  occa- 
sional stroke  of  the  lash  the  continuous  line 
of  natives  who  filed  past  him  with  baskets  of 
earth  on  their  shoulders,  their  long  blue 
gowns  modifying  the  force  of  the  stroke, 
which  they  seemed  not  to  mind,  for  they 
laughed  as  they  passed.  The  farmers  are 
only  too  glad  to  have  this  earth,  which  makes 
excellent  fertilizer,  for  the  carting  of  it  away. 

Late  this  afternoon,  as  we  passed  the  first 
of  the  three  sandy  islands  below  Luxor,  we 
suddenly  caught  sight  of  the  slender  obelisk 
and  lofty  pylons  of  the  great  shrine  of  Kar- 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     157 

nak,  the  most  stupendous  temple  of  Egyptian 
antiquity,  if  not  of  the  whole  world.  Oppo- 
site it  on  the  western  plain  stands  the  Rames- 
seum  with  the  seated  Memnoni  keeping  guard 
over  all.  Rounding  another  bend  of  the  river 
there  came  into  view  the  splendid  colonnades 
of  the  Temple  of  Luxor,  which  extends  along 
the  river  bank,  the  low  white  walls  of  the 
modern  town  forming  a  fringe  about  the 
beautiful  ruin. 

Just  below  lay  our  landing  station.  Here 
we  remain  for  the  next  three  days  at  the 
modern  town  of  Luxor,  built  on  the  ruins  of 
ancient  Thebes.  Some  friends  of  the  crew 
were  awaiting  at  the  wharf;  their  greeting 
consisted  in  shaking  hands  three  times,  then 
gracefully  raising  the  hand  to  heart,  lips  and 
forehead. 

The  sun  was  sinking  fast  as  we  hurried 
ashore  and  ascended  the  bank  to  get  a  nearer 
view  of  the  Temple  above.  The  lingering 
rays  of  the  dying  orb  touched  column  and 
architrave  with  rosy  light  and  turned  the 
sand  about  them  deep  pink. 

Just  then  some  one  called  my  name,  and 
turning  I  met  a  lady  who  introduced  herself 
as  Mrs.  Bacon.  A  mutual  friend  had  ap- 
prised her  of  our  coming.  She  is  the  wife 
of  an  English  artist  who  has  spent  many 


' : 


Hwe-hut  on  the  Xikr  m  or  ^p  s 
am.  enfeztrioiB     ittie  lolnae  with 


hf 
fat 
•  c 
ok 


j-piaee,  ID  mam  GBJBC  a 
of  dark-robed  WBBEB,  their  jars 

•^•t^BB^Vp     VB^K^B.      a^^ataBBBbABW    ,^BBiBv^MtABBBB^ 


fel,  odns  flbtjr  wwi^  aD  at  Ife 

batter  of  teir 
mfirt  lamiral  on  the 
We  noft  hare  seen  a  handled 
fe  part  in  the  quaiter  hour  of 
HHL  Bacon  fold  us, 


Otolbf  Jtife. 

re  ad 
tai 


dhj  u 


MirArab 


:T< 


open  doonrwr  of  a  Modm  adhouL    H 
baft  *  •otter  of  a  short  Uff  boor's  life, 


160     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

yet  ever  and  anon  Israfeel  would  interrogate, 
"  You  saddle  all  right?  You  all  right?  "  and 
when  I  replied  in  the  affirmative,  Israfeel 
would  metaphorically  pat  himself  on  the  back, 
exclaiming,  "  Annahel  bery  gode  donkeey! 
Israfeel  bery  gode  donkeey-boy ! "  and  he 
kept  reminding  me  of  the  fact,  hoping  it 
would  tell  in  the  amount  of  his  fee.  B.  led 
the  line  of  tourists,  her  boy,  Adam,  true  to 
name,  being  the  first  to  reach  the  temple 
pylon. 

Turning  northward  and  taking  the  road 
nearest  the  river  we  soon  came  upon  traces 
of  ram-head  sphinxes  couchant  —  giant  mon- 
oliths which  line  the  mile  and  a  quarter  ave- 
nue eighty  feet  wide,  connecting  the  great 
Temples  of  Luxor  and  Karnak.  Between 
their  fore-paws  stand  statuettes  of  Ameno- 
phis  III.  A  second  avenue  of  sphinxes,  par- 
allel with  the  first,  leads  from  the  Temple  of 
Mut,  east  of  Luxor,  also  to  the  Temple  of 
Karnak;  a  short  cross  avenue  similarly  dec- 
orated connects  the  two.  Anciently  all  these 
ways  were  paved  with  stone. 

Leaving  the  outskirts  of  Luxor  we  rode 
over  a  stretch  of  open  ground  and  on  into  an 
avenue  shaded  by  lofty  palms,  the  granite 
rams  recumbent  at  their  feet.  At  the  south- 
west corner  of  the  vast  court  enclosing  the 


APPROACH    TO    THE    TEMPLE    OF    KARNAK. 


THE    RUINS    OP   KARNAK. 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     161 

group  of  pylons,  temples,  columns,  obelisks, 
statues,  and  sphinxes,  erected  by  the  various 
Pharaohs  of  ancient  times  to  the  honour  of 
the  great  Amon-Re,  stands  the  splendid  portal 
of  Euergetes  I,  its  coved  cornice  ornamented 
with  the  winged  disc  of  the  sun,  and  tinted  soft 
blue  and  green. 

Within  more  sphinxes  conduct  to  a  broad 
pylon,  the  four  vertical  grooves  of  which,  with 
holes  for  fastenings,  anciently  held  a  like 
number  of  tapering  flag-staffs.  The  pylon, 
often  hundreds  of  feet  wide  and  a  hundred 
or  more  high,  with  broad  base  and  gently 
sloping  sides,  was  the  massive  gateway  in- 
variably erected  by  ancient  Pharaohs  before 
temple  and  palace,  and  is  a  feature  of  archi- 
tecture peculiarly  Egyptian.  Beyond  Euer- 
getes' portal  are  the  usual  great  court,  hypo- 
style,  or  columned  hall,  inner  sanctuary  sur- 
rounded by  ambulatory,  or  corridor,  and  small 
chambers  —  the  whole  comprising  the  temple 
of  the  god  Khon,  son  of  Amon  and  Mut  — 
a  typical  shrine  of  the  period  of  the  New 
Empire,  B.  c.  1200. 

The  more  sacred  fane  of  the  supreme  god 
Amon  stands  in  the  centre  of  the  great  gran- 
ite pile.  Early  in  Egyptian  history  this  spot 
was  held  sacred  and  the  kings  of  the  twelfth 
dynasty,  B.  c.  2400,  erected  over  it  a  small 


162     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

shrine.  Eight  hundred  years  later  Thut- 
mose  I  made  Thebes  his  capital,  and  with  the 
revenue  from  conquered  lands  constructed 
two  large  pylons  with  connecting  colonnades 
before  the  little  sanctuary. 

Succeeding  him  came  his  brother,  Thut- 
mose  III,  "  the  Alexander  of  Egypt,"  who 
pushed  the  boundaries  of  the  empire  to  their 
farthest  limit,  extending  from  the  oases  on 
the  Libyan  Desert  to  beyond  the  Euphrates. 
Mighty  in  works  as  well  as  deeds,  Thutmose 
erected  a  multitude  of  obelisks,  emblems  of 
the  Sun-god,  Re,  all  over  his  realm.  To-day 
they  are  scattered  far  and  wide,  adorning  the 
capitals  of  many  foreign  countries;  Italy, 
Turkey,  England  and  America  each  boast  a 
monolith  of  this  prolific  architect.  Moreover 
at  Thebes,  Thutmose  III  built  on  behind  the 
shrine  a  wide  colonnaded  court  and  enclosed 
the  whole  Karnak  group  with  a  protecting 
wall.  Here  was  found  the  famous  Karnak 
Table  of  Kings,  giving  a  list  of  the  Pharaohs 
from  the  earliest  Egyptian  annals  down  to 
the  Eighteenth  Dynasty,  B.  c.  1700.  This 
tablet  is  now  in  the  Bibliotheque  Nationale  in 
Paris. 

Amenophis  III  added  a  third  pylon.  It 
was  reserved,  however,  for  the  Nineteenth 
Dynasty  —  the  great  Vulcans  of  Egypt,  to 


COLUMNS   OF   THE   HYPOSTYLE   HALL,    KARNAK. 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     163 

erect  the  Cyclopean  columns  of  the  gigantic 
hypostyle  hall  of  this  "  Throne  of  the  World." 
Ramses  I  began  the  work  by  building  a  mass- 
ive pylon  and  setting  up  one  great  column; 
Seti  I  added  seventy-nine  others;  the  remain- 
ing fifty-four  are  due  to  Ramses  II,  who  also 
constructed  a  second  larger  girdle  of  walls 
around  the  entire  group. 

About  B.  c.  1000  the  Libyan  kings,  then 
ruling  the  Land  of  the  Nile,  enclosed  an  area 
of  a  thousand  square  yards  in  front  of  the 
shrine,  thus  forming  a  splendid  cloistered 
court,  in  the  centre  of  which  the  later  Ethio- 
pian monarch  Taharqa  placed,  possibly  as 
pedestals  for  statues  of  gods,  six  lofty  col- 
umns seventy  feet  in  height  and  thirty -five 
feet  in  circumference,  duplicates  of  the  mam- 
moth pillars  of  the  great  central  hall. 

Finally,  to  cap  the  whole  wonderful  struc- 
ture, the  Ptolemies  of  the  fourth  century  B.  c. 
constructed  a  sixth  gate  of  honour,  a  monster 
propylsea  at  the  western  entrance  close  to  the 
Nile,  a  still  more  worthy  portal  to  the  sanctu- 
ary of  the  great  Amon-Re.  Spite  of  earth- 
quake and  inundation,  this  huge  buttress- 
shaped  pile  of  masonry,  two  thousand  years 
later,  still  measures  a  length  of  nearly  four 
hundred  feet  across  the  front  of  the  great 
court,  while  the  sloping  walls  of  its  moles 


164     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

tower  upward  over  a  hundred  and  forty  feet. 
Bare  of  decoration  or  inscription,  it  never- 
theless awes  by  sheer  size  and  mass. 

Aside  from  the  column,  Egyptian  architec- 
ture is  rectangular  in  plan  and  pyramidal  in 
elevation.  Even  the  earliest  temples  of  the 
Pharaonic  epoch  show  this  pyramidal  ten- 
dency in  the  sloping  towers  of  their  propy- 
lasa  and  in  the  tapering  of  their  obelisks,  while 
among  the  buildings  of  the  Ptolemaic  period 
the  inclined  outline  dominates  everywhere. 

A  climb  up  the  outer  stairway  on  the  north 
to  the  platform  sixteen  feet  broad  rewarded 
us  with  one  of  the  most  entrancing  views  in 
all  Egypt.  The  valley  at  this  point  is  un- 
usually wide  and  fertile.  The  ancient  bed 
of  the  river  is  easily  traced.  The  bare  hills 
recede  on  either  side,  the  higher  eastern  range 
terminating  in  lofty  irregular  peaks,  while  the 
palisaded  limestone  cliffs  to  the  west  are  as 
full  of  tomb-caverns  as  an  old  oak  of  wood- 
pecker's holes.  The  fertile  plains  between  are 
dotted  with  villages.  Groups  of  palms  and 
tamerisks  cluster  here  and  there,  and  likewise 
form  a  grove  about  the  ruins  at  our  feet. 

From  the  parapet  we  looked  down  on  what 
was  once  ancient  Thebes,  and  tried  to  recall 
the  glories  of  that  hundred-gated  city,  its 
splendid  temples  and  palaces,  its  obelisks  and 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT      165 

statues  of  granite,  its  ornaments  of  ivory,  sil- 
ver and  gold.  At  her  period  of  greatest 
splendour  Thebes  had  spread  her  borders  far 
and  wide  over  the  plain  on  both  sides  of  the 
river,  but  all  has  since  been  rifled,  first  by 
the  Persian  Cambyses,  after  by  the  Grecian 
Alexander,  and  finally  by  imperial  Caesar. 
Naught  but  the  mighty  ruins  of  her  massive 
temples  remain. 

Just  below  us  as  we  faced  the  morning  sun, 
lay  the  great  quadrangle  of  Karnak,  a  city 
of  temples.  Colossal  statues  showed  here  and 
there  above  ruined  heaps  of  stone,  while  be- 
yond the  calyx-crowned  columns  of  the  hypo- 
style  rose  the  pointed  fingers  of  tapering  obe- 
lisks. To  the  right  shimmered  the  sacred  lake 
wheT-e  aforetime  floated  the  temple  barks  of 
priestly  ceremonial.  Lately  this  site  has 
yielded  up  great  treasure;  five  hundred  and 
fifty  statues  have  been  recovered  during  the 
past  year  from  the  bed  of  the  lake  —  images 
buried,  no  doubt,  at  the  approach  of  some 
foreign  conqueror. 

Each  side  of  the  rectangle  has  its  special 
gateway  and  avenue  of  sphinxes  leading  to 
other  temples.  From  the  great  pylon  on 
which  we  stood  a  wide  way  flanked  with  ram- 
headed  sphinxes  extended  straight  to  the 
Nile,  a  half  mile  distant,  and  was  continued 


166     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

on  the  farther  bank  to  the  Temple  of  Kurna, 
where  a  network  of  like  avenues  connected 
it  with  some  half  dozen  other  shrines.  Once 
a  year  the  sacred  boats  were  taken  from  the 
holy  of  holies  and  carried  in  procession  down 
the  main  avenue  and  across  the  river  on  visits 
to  gods  of  other  temples.  As  we  lingered  on 
the  turret,  mountain,  plain  and  temple  were 
overspread  with  the  soft  rosy  light  of  an 
Egyptian  morning;  the  yellow  sand  flushing 
pink,  while  the  gleaming  Nile  and  verdant 
palms  gave  a  refreshing  sense  of  coolness  and 
shade. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  ferocious  barking. 
Turning,  we  saw  on  the  roof  of  the  mud  hut 
opposite  two  big  black  dogs  of  mongrel  type 
barking  frantically  at  a  little  yellow  cur  that 
was  passing  meekly  down  the  road.  A  small 
boy  beside  them  was  keeping  guard  over  some 
newly  made  loaves  of  bread  laid  on  the  roof 
to  sun-bake.  Below,  the  walls  of  this  same 
hovel  were  plastered  thick  with  cakes  of  dung 
drying  for  fuel.  Natives  passed  slowly  by  on 
their  patient  Egyptian  burros,  while  the  lit- 
tle girl  scavengers  were  busily  cleaning  the 
streets. 

Retracing  our  steps  and  climbing  over 
broken  statues  and  overturned  columns,  Ha- 
fiz  paused  first  on  the  south  side  of  the  rect- 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     167 

angle  at  the  Temple  of  Ramses  III  —  its  fine 
court  lined  with  great  granite  Osiride  pillars, 
—  piers  having  before  each  a  heroic  figure 
of  the  god  swathed  as  a  mummy.  The  drago- 
man also  pointed  out  on  the  south  wall  of 
the  second  pylon  the  famous  relief  of  She- 
shonq,  the  Shishak  of  Scripture,  who  gave 
shelter  and  refuge  to  the  rebel  Jeroboam,  an 
exile  from  King  Solomon's  court.  This  Pha- 
raoh later,  during  the  reign  of  Rehoboam,  son 
of  Solomon,  invaded  and  sacked  Jerusalem. 
The  bas-relief  here  shows  Shishak  grasping  by 
the  hair  a  group  of  kneeling  captives  whom  he 
is  about  to  smite  with  his  club.  The  cartouche 
of  one  victim  was  supposed  to  be  that  of  Re- 
hoboam, but  it  has  now  been  indisputably 
proven  to  be  the  name  of  a  town  called  Inta- 
melek. 

Returning  to  the  main  court  we  pass  the 
headless  granite  colossus  of  Ramses  II  still 
erect  on  its  pedestal,  and  enter  the  second 
pylon,  which  gives  at  once  on  what  is  prob- 
ably the  loftiest  aisle  of  columned  stone  earth 
boasts  to-day,  a  work  of  the  ancients  left  for 
man  to  wonder  at.  In  the  central  nave 
twelve  mammoth  pillars,  each  thirty-five  feet 
in  girth,  tower  upward  course  on  course  for 
seventy  feet,  three  courses  more  than  measur- 
ing the  stature  of  a  man.  The  sequoia  only 


168     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

is  comparable  to  them  for  size  and  height. 
The  columns  close-set,  their  calyx  capitals 
projecting  far,  make  it  difficult  to  obtain  the 
vista  of  this  narrow  lofty  aisle  in  one  perspec- 
tive. The  pylon  gateway  best  commands  the 
nave  with  the  Thutmose  obelisk  of  the  inner 
court  closing  in  the  apse. 

What  was  Solomon's  Temple  compared  to 
this?  Even  the  Parthenon  seems  a  toy,  albeit 
a  most  exquisite  one,  to  this  gigantic  pile. 
One  must  stand  and  gaze  upward,  letting  the 
eye  follow  the  shaft  till  it  pierces  the  sky,  to 
realize  the  majesty  of  these  mighty  trunks. 
As  I  stood  thus,  low  scattering  clouds  drifted 
across  the  empyrean  overhead,  and  the  tower- 
ing capitals  seemed  to  lose  themselves  in  the 
filmy  mist.  So  too,  thought,  seeking  to  un- 
ravel the  mystery  of  the  primeval  faith  which 
reared  these  mighty  pillars  in  homage  to  pre- 
historic gods,  loses  itself  in  an  impenetrable 
mist  of  fear,  superstition  and  ignorance.  The 
human  mind  staggers  under  the  tale  of  the 
centuries,  dazed  by  the  reckoning  of  innumer- 
able ages. 

More  than  three  thousand  cycles  has  this 
terrestrial  globe  counted  since  first  these  col- 
umns rose.  What  have  they  not  seen!  Inva- 
sion after  invasion  have  they  survived;  the 
hosts  of  Palestine  and  Syria,  of  Persia  and 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     169 

Ethiopia,  have  swept  over  the  land;  Alexan- 
der and  Philip,  Caesar  and  Anthony,  have  con- 
quered and  passed;  Moslem  and  Turk  by 
turns  have  held  their  land  in  fief.  It  has 
been  a  battle  ground  for  the  armies  of  Eng- 
land and  France.  The  Nile  has  ebbed,  the 
Nile  has  flowed,  and  yet  these  pillars  stand! 
Rooted  in  the  accumulating  sand,  erect,  un- 
moved, they  are  accepted  into  the  chronology 
of  desert  and  sky,  have  part  and  place  in  the 
geography  of  earth  and  the  universe. 

How  transient  in  comparison  the  life  of 
man: 

"  As  for  man  his  days  are  as  grass  ; 
As  a  flower  of  the  field,  so  he  flourisheth. 
For  the  wind  passeth  over  it,  and  it  is  gone ; 
And  the  place  thereof  shall  know  it  no  more." 

When  will  mortals  cease  their  petty  haste 
and  learn  the  large  patience  of  the  enduring 
rocks  and  hills? 

A  forest  of  lesser  columns  in  sixteen  rows, 
with  bud  capitals  crowning  their  forty  feet 
of  height,  fill  the  remainder  of  the  immense 
hall;  imposing  figures  of  gods  in  delicate  flat 
relief  or  sunk  relief  confront  us  from  every 
shaft,  the  strong  sunlight  deepening  their 
shadows  to  intense  black.  Here  and  there  a 
column  has  fallen  and  its  drums  are  strewn 


170     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

domino-fashion  over  the  ground;  others  lean 
in  threatening  attitudes.  The  massive  stone 
slabs  that  once  roofed  the  central  aisle  —  all 
are  overthrown. 

Our  meditations  at  this  point  were  inter- 
rupted by  the  discordant  singing  and  yelling 
of  two  or  three  hundred  men  and  boys  in  long 
cotton  gowns  and  tiny  white  night-caps. 
This  army  was  carrying  on  their  heads  bas- 
kets of  earth  to  heap  about  the  bases  of  col- 
umns in  process  of  re-erection.  The  Egyp- 
tian always  sings  as  he  works,  and  the  un- 
trained voices  of  these  workers  sounded  like  a 
band  of  howling  coyotes! 

You  will  remember  reading  of  the  over- 
turning of  eleven  of  these  Karnak  columns 
by  the  earthquake  of  1899.  These  are  the 
ones  now  being  restored  by  M.  Legrain,  an 
enthusiastic  archaeologist  who  has  devoted 
himself  to  the  preservation  of  this  great  hall. 

The  foundations  have  first  to  be  renewed, 
then  the  huge  stone  drums  piled  one  upon 
another;  as  the  column  rises  more  and  more 
earth  is  heaped  around  it,  forming  an  inclined 
plane  up  which  the  upper  drums  are  rolled 
by  means  of  ropes  and  man-power.  Similar 
ramps  of  earth,  Diodorus  tells  us,  were  used 
in  the  original  construction  of  these  temples. 

M.  Legrain  has  also  just  this  morning  set 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     171 

three  additional  gangs  of  men  and  boys  to 
excavating  in  as  many  different  places;  two 
parties  are  digging  pits  six  by  ten  feet  square 
in  the  main  court  and  a  third  is  making  fur- 
ther examination  of  the  old  sacred  lake  south- 
east of  the  sanctuary.  The  men  do  the  dig- 
ging and  heavier  work  while  the  troops  of 
boys  carry  off  the  dirt,  many  of  the  lads 
being  able  to  handle  only  very  small  baskets. 
The  daily  wage  is  from  one  and  a  half  to  two 
piastres,  a  piastre  being  five  cents;  which  is 
considered  good  pay  in  Egypt. 

While  repairing  the  bases  of  the  columns 
M.  Legrain  discovered  the  walls  of  a  still 
more  ancient  temple,  likewise  of  magnificent 
proportions,  its  date  not  less  than  5000  or 
600U  B.  c.  Some  reliefs  of  fine  workmanship 
found  in  the  debris  attest  the  high  standard 
of  pre-historic  art. 

On  the  outer  south  wall  of  the  great  hall 
are  sculptured  scenes  commemorative  of  Ram- 
ses' famous  battle  with  the  Hittites.  Of  the 
central  building  little  remains.  There  is  still 
standing  one  of  the  two  obelisks  erected  by 
Queen  Hatshepset,  daughter  of  Thutmose  I, 
and  sister  of  the  second  and  third  Thutmoses. 
This  obelisk  is  of  pink  granite  from  the  quar- 
ries of  Assuan,  and  is  the  tallest  now  left  in 
Egypt,  being  ninety-seven  and  a  half  feet  in 


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174     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

ago  with  little  money  and  no  introductions. 
Taking  an  old  adobe  house  in  a  narrow  street 
of  the  native  quarter,  she  had  it  renovated 
and  freshly  plastered.  There  this  frail  little 
woman  of  delicate,  refined  features  and  sensi- 
tive nature  established  herself  with  a  Syrian 
woman  for  companion.  A  faithful  Arab 
whose  family  she  had  nursed  acted  as  watch- 
dog. She  there  managed  to  house  forty 
boarders  and  instruct  150  day  scholars.  Con- 
tributions from  Home  Missions  and  visiting 
tourists  finally  made  possible  the  erection  of 
the  present  commodious  structure. 

When  they  first  come  the  girls  have  to  be 
taught  everything,  even  how  to  sleep  in  a  bed ; 
so  afraid  are  they  of  falling  out  that  at  first 
they  have  actually  to  be  held  in.  Most  of 
them  are  stupid  and  underfed  wrhen  they 
enter,  but  a  few  weeks  of  more  ample  diet 
works  a  wonderful  change.  Their  faces 
brighten  and  they  look  like  different  beings. 

One  morning  Miss  Buchanan  found  a  day- 
pupil,  a  girl  of  fourteen,  crying.  Asking  the 
cause,  the  girl  replied  that  her  uncle  was 
going  to  marry  her  to  an  old  blind  man; 
that  her  father  was  dead  and  her  people 
threatened  to  throw  her  into  the  Nile  if  she 
did  not  obey.  Her  kind-hearted  teacher  im- 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     175 

mediately  offered  to  take  the  child  to  live 
with  her. 

"  But,"  exclaimed  the  latter,  "  what  will 
become  of  me  in  summer  while  you  are 
away? " 

Miss  Buchanan  consoled  her  by  also  prom- 
ising to  take  her  to  Alexandria  during  the 
hot  summer  months.  The  girl  then  joyfully 
acquiesced,  and  has  now  been  with  her  mis- 
tress two  years;  she  will  probably  marry  a 
mission  boy. 

One  wealthy  Egyptian  brought  his  daugh- 
ter to  be  entered  at  the  school.  When  told 
the  board  was  four  dollars  a  month,  he  pro- 
tested that  it  was  too  high,  but  paid  it,  ex- 
claiming, however,  "  I  should  not  mind  if  it 
were  for  a  boy!  " 

The  class  rooms  were  filled  with  happy 
little  maidens,  all  shades  of  yellow  —  Copts, 
Syrians,  Arabs,  and  Ethiopians.  Even  the 
tiniest  had  her  veil  of  silk  or  cheese-cloth 
draped  over  her  head,  her  nose-ring,  and 
bracelets  and  anklets  galore.  They  struggle 
with  the  rudiments  of  the  three  R's,  and  are 
also  taught  to  embroider. 

Miss  Buchanan  has  one  American  and  two 
native  assistants.  A  large  class  is  soon  to  be 
graduated  and  sent  out  to  teach.  This  is  the 


176     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

only  school  within  a  circuit  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  among  a  population  of  two 
millions.  No  one  who  visits  the  school  can 
resist  the  appeal  of  such  work. 

At  four  we  joined  the  party  at  the  Temple 
of  Luxor.  Although  its  length  exceeds  that 
of  two  city  blocks,  it  was  called  by  the  The- 
bans  the  "  Beautiful  Little  Temple,"  in  con- 
trast with  the  greater  shrine  of  Karnak  be- 
yond. Both  were  sacred  to  the  gods  Amon 
and  Mut,  and  to  their  son,  Khon.  Thut- 
mose  I  began  the  construction  of  the  nobler 
courts  and  more  imposing  colonnades  of  the 
House  of  Amon  in  the  northern  Apt  of 
Thebes  nearly  two  hundred  years  before 
Amenophis  III,  who  lived  in  the  later  years 
of  Moses,  built  the  Little  Temple  of  Luxor 
to  be  Amon's  shrine  of  the  southern  Apt. 

Amenhotep  IV,  son  of  the  latter,  was 
called  the  Heretic  King,  because  he  erased 
the  name  and  demolished  the  images  of  Amon, 
and  erected  beside  them  a  shrine  to  the  new 
god  of  the  Solar  Disc.  This  innovation,  how- 
ever, was  not  popular  with  the  Egyptians, 
who  at  his  death  razed  to  the  ground  the 
sanctuary  of  the  strange  god. 

Seti  I  restored  the  image  of  Amon,  while 
the  great  pylon  and  splendid  obelisks  —  one 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     177 

still  in  situ,  the  other  decorating  the  Place 
de  la  Concorde  in  Paris  —  were  added  by 
Ramses  II,  the  greatest  builder  of  all  the 
Pharaohs.  You  will  remember  his  date  was 
B.  c.  1333.  He  also  caused  to  be  hewn  for 
the  temple  six  colossal  black  granite  statues 
of  himself,  two  seated  and  four  standing,  the 
seated  figures  being  forty-five  feet  in  height. 
Between  the  columns  of  the  inner  cloister 
Ramses  likewise  erected  eleven  heroic  stand- 
ing images  of  his  Majesty  with  a  tiny  figure 
of  one  of  his  wives  beside  each,  but  well  in 
the  background. 

The  Temple  of  Luxor  had  been  completely 
buried,  but  the  whole  interior  and  the  western 
wall  beside  the  river  are  now  excavated;  de- 
bris, however,  built  over  with  the  mud  huts 
of  the  fellaheen,  still  abuts  on  its  eastern 
border. 

Although  little  more  than  half  the  height 
of  Karnak's  hypostyle,  the  central  colonnade 
rising  forty-two  feet  and  still  bearing  aloft 
its  massive  architrave,  is  most  imposing.  The 
reliefs  on  the  walls  of  pylon  and  chapel  por- 
tray the  New  Year's  Festival  of  sacred  barks 
with  images  of  the  gods  being  convoyed 
down  the  Nile  from  the  northern  House  of 
Amon  at  Karnak  on  their  annual  visit  to  the 


178     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

idols  here  in  the  Luxor  fane  of  the  southern 
Apt.  Their  return  at  nightfall  is  pictured 
on  an  opposite  wall. 

Over  the  glittering  sands  of  the  Libyan 
Desert  the  laggard  sun,  looming  large  from 
the  distant  horizon,  was  now  fast  sinking  in 
a  golden  glory,  its  long  lines  of  light  casting 
a  radiant  effulgence  upward  over  the  whole 
western  heavens  to  the  very  zenith.  The  Nile, 
made  crimson  by  the  reflection,  rippled  with 
the  chance  zephyrs  of  closing  day.  Below  in 
mid-stream,  outlined  against  the  evening  sky, 
lay  the  little  island  from  which  rose  a  cluster 
of  tall  palms  and  the  folded  sails  of  a  boat 
just  brought  to  mooring  for  the  night.  Above 
and  around  us  glowed  Luxor's  giant  walls 
and  columns  as  in  a  furnace,  their  limestone 
surface  catching  fire  from  the  burning  rays  of 
the  departing  orb  of  day.  A  hush  fell  over 
the  company,  awed  to  silence  by  the  nightly 
miracle  of  an  Egyptian  sunset. 


HEAD  OF  KAMSES  AT  LUXOR. 


On  the  Nile, 
Wednesday,  December  14th. 

WE  were  up  betimes  and  by  eight  were 
seated  in  little  canopied  feluccas  and  being 
ferried  across  to  western  Thebes.  The  cur- 
rent is  so  swift  and  the  sand-bars  so  numerous 
that  it  needs  a  skilful  oarsman  to  land  one 
anywhere  near  the  bright  patch  of  coloured 
robes,  red  fezes  and  scarlet  saddles  of  the  hun- 
dred Arabs  who  had  crossed  with  their  donkeys 
at  dawn,  waking  the  tourist  with  their  noisy 
chatter,  and  had  been  awaiting  his  arrival  ever 
since. 

Hafiz  cautioned  us  to  leave  the  boat  one 
at  a  time  that  he  might  mount  us  properly. 
This  injunction,  alas!  we  failed  to  heed.  As 
one  after  another  jumped  ashore  the  Arabs, 
considering  us  their  legitimate  prey,  rushed 
forward,  dragging  their  donkeys  by  the  bridle 
and  almost  driving  us  into  the  river.  Clau- 
dius Hafiz,  tall  and  broad-shouldered,  plied 
his  black-snake  vigorously,  beating  back  both 
men  and  beasts.  But  no  sooner  would  he 
turn  to  lift  one  lady  into  the  saddle  than  the 

179 


180     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

Arabs  would  surge  forward  on  the  other  side. 
A  few  of  us  women  managed  to  secure  a 
mount  and  get  out  of  the  melee,  but  the  men 
were  not  so  fortunate. 

The  Professor,  who  is  a  light  weight,  was 
pushed  hither  and  thither;  twice  he  got  one 
foot  in  the  stirrup  —  only  to  be  pulled  off 
by  a  rival  runner,  and  twice  he  measured  his 
length  on  the  ground.  He  finally  managed 
to  escape  on  a  very  hard  trotter,  two  lively 
urchins  pursuing,  and  keeping  up  a  sharp  rat- 
tat-tat-tat!  on  the  lean  shanks  of  his  poor 
burro.  The  helpless  Professor,  who  has  al- 
ways ^n  anxious  look  when  so  high  in  air, 
kept  shouting,  "  Slowly,  slowly!  stop!  stop!" 
but  all  to  no  purpose.  His  donkey  carried 
off  the  palm  in  the  race  across  the  desert, 
while  its  unhappy  rider  bounded  higher  and 
higher  and  his  temper  got  hotter  and  hotter! 
Three  times  he  jumped  off,  vowing  ven- 
geance on  his  tormentors,  and  chased  them 
far  afield  over  ploughed  ground.  But  the 
wicked  imps  fled  ever  before,  only  to  return 
and  again  slyly  urge  the  donkey  forward, 
first  on  one  side,  then  on  the  other. 

My  beast  was  "  Lovely  Sweet,"  while  B. 
had  its  twin,  "Lovely  Nice."  "Cyclone," 
"  Minnehaha,"  and  "  Whiskey  and  Soda  "  are 
also  favourite  names.  I  asked  the  bright  lad 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     181 

who  ran  beside  me  how  old  he  was,  and  al- 
though he  could  not  possibly  have  seen  twelve 
summers,  he  replied  quite  soberly,  "  I  am  not 
a  boy,  I  am  a  man;  I'm  twenty.  Yes,  yes, 
I'm  a  man!  My  father  is  dead"  —  their 
fathers  are  always  dead!  "  I'm  a  man  of 
family;  I  have  a  mother  and  two  little  broth- 
ers to  feed.  One  lady,"  he  added  by  way  of 
suggestion,  "  gave  me  some  shoes  from  As- 
suan  —  three  shillings  the  cost!  Very  dear!" 

As  it  was  a  long  hot  run  over  heavy  sand, 
we  paid  the  boys  double  the  usual  fee  of  a 
shilling,  so  they  need  not  wait  long  to  be 
shod,  but  they'll  never  run  as  nimbly  in  shoes 
over  sand  and  stones  as  they  did  in  their  bare 
feet  to-day.  The  Luxor  native  is  very  poor; 
a  day's  wage  is  but  twelve  or  fifteen  Ameri- 
can cents,  and  the  hours  are  long.  Men  are 
eager  for  work  and  gladly  run  the  hot  four 
hours  through  dust  and  over  deep  sand  to  win 
the  tourist's  shilling,  which  is  far  more  than 
they  could  possibly  earn  as  masons  or  car- 
penters. 

After  a  short  halt  at  the  ruined  Temple 
of  Kurna  we  pushed  on  for  forty  minutes 
over  the  sandy  waste,  skirting  the  Libyan 
hills,  and  entered  the  little  hot  close  Valley 
of  the  Tombs  of  the  Kings,  the  Necropolis 
of  the  eighteenth,  nineteenth  and  twentieth 


182     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

dynasties  —  so  aptly  called  "  the  Westmin- 
ster Abbey  of  Egypt."  The  noonday  sun 
shone  down  upon  us  with  tropical  fierceness. 
At  one  point  only  an  overhanging  boulder 
made  a  few  feet  of  shade.  Never  before  had 
I  so  realized  the  force  of  the  beautiful  Scrip- 
ture —  "  Like  the  shadow  of  a  great  rock  in 
a  weary  land." 

Of  the  many  sepulchres  discovered  in  these 
hills  the  tourist  visits  but  four  or  five  of  the 
best  preserved. 

Belzoni,  the  Paduan  athlete  and  one  of  the 
earliest  Egyptian  archaeologists,  graphically 
describes  his  exploration  of  a  tomb  discovered 
by  him  in  1817  in  this  very  valley.  After 
scrambling  for  three  or  four  hundred  feet 
over  the  loose  stones  of  a  hot  stuffy  gallery, 
and  having  in  places  to  crawl  over  sharp 
rocks,  he  had  to  force  his  body  through  a 
small  aperture  scarce  a  foot  high.  Emerging 
into  a  cave  lofty  enough  to  permit  of  a  sit- 
ting posture,  he  rested  his  robust  form  on 
what  proved  to  be  a  rotten  mummy-case 
which  gave  way  beneath  his  weight.  Throw- 
ing his  shoulders  back  to  save  himself,  there 
came  tumbling  down  upon  him  a  lot  of  loose 
legs,  arms  and  mummy  rags,  while  the  dead 
dust  of  bygone  ages  and  buried  kings  rose 
in  stifling  clouds  and  filled  throat  and  nostrils. 


Belzoni  humourously  remarks  that  although 
he  had  lost  the  sense  of  smell,  he  could  taste 
that  the  mummies  were  rather  unpleasant  to 
swallow,  and  he  was  compelled  to  lie  still  until 
the  hurricane  had  subsided.  The  proximity 
of  the  piles  of  mummies  revealed  by  the  flick- 
ering torches  in  the  hands  of  his  naked  dust- 
covered  Arabs,  themselves  like  mummies,  at 
first  filled  him  with  horror;  experience,  how- 
ever, accustomed  him  to  the  sight  and  to  the 
hot  close  atmosphere. 

At  another  time  he  discovered  the  opening 
to  a  tomb  gallery  behind  a  torrent  which 
poured  over  a  steep  cliff.  The  real  entrance 
to  the  sepulchre  he  found  afterward,  twenty 
feet  below  the  river-bed.  Belzoni's  quest  was 
papyri  which  he  found  laid  on  the  breast, 
tucked  under  the  arms  or  between  the  knees 
of  the  mummies. 

No  such  hardship  to-day  confronts  the 
tourist  who  enters  these  mountain  caverns; 
he  now  descends  by  comfortable  steps  along 
a  cleared  passage  swept  of  dust  and  in  many 
instances  lighted  by  electricity. 

We  visited  the  various  subterranean  sepul- 
chres of  Seti  I  and  the  great  Pharaohs  bear- 
ing the  name  of  Ramses.  In  some  cases  we 
penetrated  five  hundred  feet  into  the  interior 
of  the  mountain  and  to  a  depth  of  a  hundred 


and  fifty  feet  below  the  entrance.  The  lime- 
stone walls  have  a  thin  coating  of  plaster 
tinted  deep  cream  or  soft  grayish  brown. 
The  figures  were  drawn  in,  in  black  outline 
with  touches  of  red,  green,  blue  and  yellow. 
The  finest  tombs  show  frescoes  as  bright  and 
clear  as  the  day  they  were  painted.  The  illus- 
trations usually  begin  with  the  passage  of  the 
soul  on  its  way  to  the  underworld;  the  snakes 
and  demons  to  be  encountered  are  portrayed 
with  the  god  who  will  help  the  Ka  shown 
beside  them. 

In  the  tomb  of  Amenhotep  II,  the  walls 
and  four  pillars  of  the  innermost  chamber  are 
covered  with  paintings.  A  railing  divides  the 
main  room  from  a  lower  recess  into  which  we 
dimly  peered.  When  all  the  company  were 
assembled,  the  electric  lights  were  suddenly 
turned  off,  leaving  us  for  a  moment  in  dense 
darkness.  A  second  later  there  glowed,  from 
the  depths  below,  at  the  head  of  the  big  granite 
sarcophagus,  a  single  incandescent  light  re- 
vealing within  the  coffin  the  mummied  form 
of  Amenhotep  II,  lying  in  state,  the  dried 
funeral  wreaths  still  about  him  —  just  as  he 
had  been  laid  there  thirty-four  centuries  ago! 
This  is  the  only  one  of  all  the  forty-one  royal 
mummies  buried  in  the  "  Valley  of  the  Tombs 
of  the  Kings"  that  has  been  allowed  to  lie 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     185 

in  its  original  tomb,  and  even  that  has  not 
escaped  robbery  of  its  golden  ornaments.  A 
thick  glass  plate -now  covers  the  sarcophagus, 
while  beside  it  lies  the  broken  granite  lid. 
One  feels  decidedly  guilty  to  be  found  thus 
confronting  the  body  of  the  great  king  who 
had  taken  such  precaution  to  secure  himself 
a  resting-place  inviolable  from  posterity. 

Near  by  had  been  placed  the  funeral  barge 
used  to  transport  the  mummy  across  the  Nile. 
In  a  small  chamber  to  the  right  lay  the  bodies 
of  a  man,  woman  and  child,  each  with  a  gash 
in  its  breast,  killed,  probably,  to  bear  the  dead 
king  company  in  the  future  life. 

Francis  G.  Moore,  who  visited  Luxor  Jan- 
uary 19,  1904,  describes  the  impression  made 
by  this  tomb  better  than  I  can  give  it: 

"  In  a  spacious  tomb-chamber  hewn  out  of 
the  solid  rock  of  a  mountain  near  Luxor, 
Egypt,  ancient  Thebes,  approached  by  a 
pathway  cut  for  more  than  a  hundred  feet 
into  the  heart  of  the  mountain  which  contains 
the  tombs  of  the  kings,  lies  the  mummy  of 
King  Amenhotep  II,  in  the  stone  sarcopha- 
gus in  which  it  was  laid  more  than  3400  years 
ago.  An  electric  light  at  his  head  illumines 
the  calm  features  and  reveals  the  wreaths  of 
flowers  with  which  his  body  was  decked  for 
burial.  When  it  is  borne  in  mind  that  all  the 


186     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

important  events  of  recorded  history  have 
happened  since  he  was  laid  in  his  tomb,  and 
that  Moses,  the  great  Hebrew  leader,  and 
Merneptah,  the  Pharaoh  of  the  Exodus,  were 
yet  unborn  when  this  same  Amenhotep  sat 
upon  the  throne,  it  is  impossible  to  look  upon 
his  impassive  countenance  without  profound 
emotion." 

The  following  beautiful  lines  are  by  the 
same  writer: 

"AMENHOTEP    RESTS   IN   HIS    TOMB" 

"Asleep  in  the  Mountain's  heart,  oh  King 
Of  Egypt's  ancient  line  ! 
How  strange  would  seem  this  later  world 
To  those  sealed  eyes  of  thine. 

"  The  Nile-tide  bringeth  life  and  hope 
While  countless  ages  roll ; 
But  not  three  thousand  years  have  solved 
The  mystery  of  thy  soul. 

"  Three  thousand  years  of  dreamless  sleep, 
God's  cycles  traveling  fast, 
Are  but  three  yesterdays  with  Him, — 
A  night-watch  that  is  past. 

«  How  brief  the  span  of  human  life ! 
Earth's  dynasties  to  thee 
Are  fading  names  on  shifting  sands 
Of  Time  and  Eternity. 

«  The  Jewish  Kings  have  turned  to  dust ; 
The  Persian's  might  is  spent ; 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     187 

No  more  the  haughty  Syrian  strides 
In  pomp  before  his  tent. 

"  The  Lion-heart  and  Saladin 
Have  met  on  Judah's  plain  ! 
And  round  Marengo's  marble  chief 
The  Mamelukes  charge  in  vain. 

«  Thou  wert  sleeping  there  when  Bethlehem's  star 
Was  blazing  in  the  sky  ; 
Still  slumbering  through  the  awful  gloom 
Which  hung  o'er  Calvary. 

«  And  thou  must  sleep  till  Gabriel's  trump 
Shall  sound  above  thy  head ; 
For  thou  must  stand,  at  last,  before 
The  Judge  of  Quick  and  Dead. 

«  Then,  if  to  duty  thou  wast  true, 
In  that  far  distant  past, 
The  Christ  who  died  for  me  and  thee 
Will  give  thee  peace  at  last." 

As  we  came  up  from  the  suffocating  cata- 
comb into  the  bright  sunshine  we  ran  into  a 
party  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  "  Cookies  "  be- 
ing conducted  over  the  Necropolis.  One  el- 
derly lady  who  had  just  made  the  round  of 
the  tombs  was  a  particularly  pathetic  object. 
Her  bonnet  had  slid  to  the  back  of  her  head, 
and  her  face  was  blistered  red  by  the  sun. 
As  her  donkey-boy  lifted  her  into  the  saddle, 
she  clung  to  him  crying,  "There,  there! 
Now  put  my  leg  over "  —  she  was  riding 


astride  — "  Now  hold  me  on,  and  now  wait 
for  the  rest  of  the  party!  " 

Returning  we  climbed  a  steep  narrow  path 
over  the  Libyan  range,  walking  all  the  way; 
first,  because  it  was  too  steep  to  ride  up,  and 
then  because  it  was  too  steep  to  ride  down. 
My  mite  of  a  boy  played  the  gallant  ama- 
zingly well,  holding  my  arm  with  one  hand 
to  assist  me  over  the  stones,  while  leading  the 
donkey  with  the  other. 

The  broad  stone  Rest-house  close  to  the 
barren  cliffs  was  a  welcome  sight.  Here  we 
had  luncheon  sent  over  from  the  ship.  While 
we  rested  the  Arabs  displayed  their  relics, 
among  which  was  the  bone  handle  of  a  sha- 
ving-brush —  a  souvenir  of  some  archaeolo- 
gist's visit,  no  doubt. 

Near  by  are  the  remains  of  the  Funerary 
Temple  of  the  famous  Queen  Hatshepsut. 
Long  ramps  with  broad  flights  of  steps  lead 
to  three  wide  colonnaded  terraces  rising  one 
above  another.  The  Temple  contains  bas- 
reliefs  illustrative  of  the  successful  expedition 
to  Punt  made  during  the  reign  of  this  Queen. 
Hatshepsut  ascended  the  throne  at  an  early 
age  and  is  always  represented  in  male  attire 
and  with  beard,  and  all  references  to  her  em- 
ploy the  masculine  pronoun,  excepting  when 
she  is  apotheosized  as  a  goddess. 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     189 

As  we  ascended  we  paused  on  the  middle 
platform,  and  looked  across  at  the  many 
workmen  excavating  an  extensive  ruin  ad- 
joining. It  has  since  proved  to  be  a  Temple 
of  Mentuhotep  III  of  the  Eleventh  Dynasty, 
B.  c.  2500,  the  oldest  building  in  Thebes,  and 
the  only  temple  of  the  Middle  Empire  extant. 
Moreover,  it  evidently  served  as  a  model  for 
the  leading  features  of  Queen  Hatshepsut's 
shrine. 

The  cliff,  behind,  contains  many  chambers 
which  were  tombs  of  the  various  queens  and 
princesses  of  the  royal  harem;  all  bear  the  in- 
scription, "  The  royal  favourite,  the  only  one, 
the  Priestess  of  Hathor."  In  each  was  found 
the  skeleton  of  a  cow.  The  walls  are  richly 
sculptured  with  scenes  illustrative  of  the  fu- 
ture life  of  these  palace  ladies.  One  pictures 
an  attendant  offering  a  bowl  to  a  princess, 
saying  "  Beer  for  thy  ghost." 

In  an  inner  chamber  of  this  ancient  Temple 
was  found  an  undisturbed  chapel  of  Hathor, 
goddess  of  the  mountain  of  the  west.  The 
frescoes  on  the  walls  are  perfectly  fresh  and 
bright;  the  roof  is  tinted  blue  with  yellow 
stars.  In  the  centre  of  the  chapel  is  the  life- 
size  image  of  a  cow  in  painted  limestone. 
The  horns  had  been  covered  with  gold-leaf, 
and  the  neck  was  decorated  with  flowers  and 


190     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

papyrus,  "  as  if  the  cow  were  coming  out  of 
the  water."  She  is  suckling  a  boy  who  is 
also  represented  under  her  neck  as  a  man. 

On  the  way  home  we  passed  by  ploughed 
fields  where  fellaheen  with  wide  hoes  were 
making  little  mud  walls  round  patches  of 
wheat  six  feet  square  preparatory  to  irrigat- 
ing them.  One  would  stand  within  and  his 
companion  without  and  each  push  the  earth 
toward  theu  other,  singing  as  they  worked. 

The  favourite  team  for  ploughing  is  a  camel 
and  an  ox  —  the  tall  and  the  short  of  it- 
harnessed  side  by  side,  ten  feet  apart,  just  out 
of  reach  of  each  other's  heels.  Slowly,  very 
slowly,  they  moved,  dragging  the  plough, 
which  was  merely  a  sharp  stick  a  foot  and  a 
half  long,  and  which  only  served  to  scrape  the 
top  of  the  ground.  The  earth  is  black  and 
cakes  hard,  when  dry,  like  our  adobe  at  home. 
Every  inch  of  ground,  even  the  lowest  banks 
down  to  the  water's  edge,  is  planted  with 
wheat  or  vegetables.  Several  times  we  heard 
women  and  children  screaming  in  the  fields 
and  were  told  they  were  only  making  a  noise 
to  scare  away  the  birds.  A  little  gray  bird 
smaller  than  our  mocking  bird,  is  the  special 
pest. 

We  always  try  to  be  among  the  first  in  the 
race  home  to  the  boat  in  order  to  escape  the 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     191 

dust  of  the  twenty  riders  and  their  numerous 
runners.  A  cup  of  tea  and  a  hot  bath  is  the 
goal  for  which  we  strive. 

As  we  sat  in  the  small  boat  waiting  for 
the  timid  riders,  of  which  there  is  always  a 
goodly  number  of  both  sexes,  we  watched  the 
Arabs  making  the  donkeys  jump  into  a  sail- 
boat. Poor  beasts,  they  dreaded  it,  and  some 
of  them  had  to  be  almost  lifted  bodily  into 
the  vessel.  They  were  packed  in  closely,  head 
and  tail,  like  sardines  in  a  box.  Every  morn- 
ing at  dawn  they  are  ferried  across,  and  again 
at  night  are  carried  back  to  Luxor. 

At  dinner  the  Professor  had  a  sad  tale  to 
relate  of  his  impotence  in  the  hands  of  his 
vicious  donkey-boys;  but  he  gleefully  assured 
us  he'd  be  ready  for  them  to-morrow,  and 
forthwith  flourished  a  stout  whip  of  rhinoce- 
ros hide  which  he  had  purchased  the  moment 
he  reached  Luxor. 


LMOCOT, 
Thursday,  December  15th. 

WE  again  crossed  the  Nile  and  each  tour- 
ist was  immediately  claimed  by  his  Arab  run- 
ner of  the  day  before.  My  boy  spied  me  at 
once,  saying,  "  You  number  thirty-six,"  point- 
ing to  the  leather  tag  on  his  arm  to  assist  my 
memory.  "  You  donkey  '  Lovely  Sweet.' ' 
This  facilitated  matters. 

"  Come  on,  Miss  Shinn,"  I  called. 
"What's  the  name  of  your  thoroughbred?" 

"  Professor!  "  promptly  replied  her  Arab. 

"Why!  you  little  wretch!"  Miss  Martha 
expostulated,  "  yesterday  you  said  his  name 
was  '  Whiskey  and  Soda.' ' 

"  But,"  replied  the  imp,  smiling  sweetly  and 
trying  to  ingratiate  himself  in  the  lady's  fa- 
vour, —  "I  think  you  like  '  Professor  '  better. 
Yesterday  you  all  time  call  '  Professor !  Pro- 
fessor! '  so  I  change  name  and  call  donkey 
'  Professor.'  Donkey  no  care!  " 

So  too  the  Chicago  bride  found  her  mount 
of  the  day  before  had  been  re-christened 
"Charlie!"  in  honour  of  her  husband  —  a 

192 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     193 

delicious  bit  of  flattery,  doubtless  not  always 
appreciated.  The  Professor,  however,  in- 
sisted on  a  different  donkey,  and  enforced  his 
wishes.  The  sight  of  his  whip  kept  all  boys 
at  a  respectful  distance  while  he  jogged  peace- 
fully along  at  the  tail  of  the  procession. 

Across  ploughed  fields  we  rode  in  the  fresh 
morning  air  and  came  face  to  face  with  the 
great  Colossi  of  Memnon,  which  loom  dim 
and  gray  against  the  white  limestone  cliffs 
of  the  Libyan  mountains  beyond.  There  they 
have  sat  facing  the  east,  greeting  each  rising 
of  the  sun  for  more  than  three  thousand 
years.  These  giants  of  stone  seated  on  cubi- 
cal thrones,  decorated  with  the  entwined  lotus 
and  papyrus  of  Upper  and  Lower  Egypt, 
tower  sixty  feet  above  the  level  plain,  and  are 
visible  for  miles  around.  The  stone  is  cracked 
and  broken  and  the  faces  sadly  marred. 

They  are  statues  of  Amenhotep  III,  dur- 
ing whose  reign  the  children  of  Israel  were 
kept  in  bondage  in  Egypt.  This  Pharaoh  set 
up  these  images  in  front  of  a  temple  which  he 
had  erected,  but  of  which  nothing  now  remains. 
The  northern  Colossus  is  the  Singing  Mem- 
non. Various  Roman  generals  wrote  of  hav- 
ing heard  it  emit  a  metallic  sound  just  after 
sunrise.  This  led  to  the  invention  of  the 
myth  that  when  Memnon  was  slain  by  Achil- 


194     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

les  in  the  Trojan  War  an  image  of  him  in 
stone  appeared  at  Thebes  hailing  his  mother 
Eos  each  dawn  with  plaintive  cry.  After  the 
overthrow  of  these  monoliths  by  the  earth- 
quake of  27  B.  c.,  Septimius  Severus  restored 
them,  adding  five  courses  of  stone  to  the 
northern  one,  the  more  shattered  of  the  two; 
thereafter  it  emitted  no  sound. 

A  half  hour's  ride  farther  brought  us  to  the 
extensive  ruins  of  the  temples  of  Medinet 
Habu  and  the  great  Ramesseum.  Heroic 
Osiride  figures  of  the  renowned  Pharaoh 
stand  twenty  feet  high  in  front  of  each  col- 
umn. Near  by  lie  the  huge  head  and  shoul- 
ders of  the  most  colossal  statue  in  all  Egypt, 
with  the  hieroglyphics  of  Ramses  II  graven 
on  arm  and  throne.  The  total  height  of  the 
Colossus  is  estimated  to  have  been  fifty-seven 
feet. 

As  we  walked  through  the  deserted  courts 
gray  sparrows  twittered  and  chattered  and 
peered  saucily  at  us  from  every  crevice  and 
cranny  of  the  massive  blocks.  The  dragoman 
had  frequently  to  stop  and  clap  his  hands  to 
silence  the  noisy  chirping  before  he  could 
continue  his  explanations.  After  having  writ- 
ten you  in  detail  of  the  greater  Karnak,  I 
will  spare  you  a  description  of  these  temples, 
wonderful  though  they  be. 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     195 

We  were  back  in  time  for  tiffin  and  spent 
the  afternoon  visiting  the  down  steamer  which 
returned  this  morning  from  Assuan  and  was 
anchored  near  by,  and  in  inspecting  curio 
shops.  Every  one  bought  enamelled  lotus 
hat-pins  and  brooches  of  real  green  beetles. 
The  bridal  couple  from  Chicago  were  espe- 
cially fascinated  by  the  pseudo-antique  amu- 
lets. 

"  See  here,  Octavia,  what  do  you  think  of 
this  green  cartouche?"  —  a  stone  two  inches 
long  and  half  as  wide  engraved  with  curious 
hieroglyphics  -  '  The  man  says  it's  a  genu- 
ine old  one  —  came  from  the  mummy  of 
Ramses  the  Great:  it's  only  eight  dollars. 
Make  a  fine  seal  for  a  fob,  wouldn't  it?  Your 
brother,  Bob,  might  like  one !  —  something 
rare  and  unusual  —  and  the  fellows  at  the 
club  too!  Oh!  I  say!"  —  turning  to  the 
dealer  —  "  have  you  any  more  of  these  car- 
touches? Are  they  all  royal?  You  guaran- 
tee them  all  ancient  and  royal?  Well,  then 
let  me  have  twenty -two  of  them! " 

'  Very  well,  your  honour,"  replied  the 
obliging  merchant,  "  it  fortunate  I  can  give 
you ;  I  have  ver'  rare,  ver'  exclusive  cartouche, 
very  genueene ! "  emphasizing  the  last  sylla- 
ble, as  he  produced  from  a  special  drawer 
twenty-two  green  stones  of  identical  colour 


196     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

and  nomenclature  —  all  manufactured  in  Bir- 
mingham without  doubt,  but  most  satisfac- 
tory to  the  gentleman  from  Chicago,  who 
breathed  a  deep  sigh,  as  he  exclaimed:  "By 
Jove,  but  it's  a  relief  to  have  those  fellows  off 
my  mind,  they've  been  worrying  me  ever  since 
I  landed  in  Egypt!  " 

"Do  come  and  see  this  big  blue  beetle!" 
called  Octavia.  "  Isn't  it  a  dear?  The  very 
thing  for  a  pendant!  and  these  sweet  little 
scarabs  an  inch  long  will  make  fine  hat-pins 
for  the  girls ! "  Then  addressing  the  anti- 
quary, the  bride  gave  her  order:  "I'll  take 
this  splendid  big  blue  scarab  and  four  dozen 
of  those  dainty  bug  hat-pins." 

And  yet  foreign  residents  complain  of  the 
incurable  mendacity  of  the  native  dealer! 
Their  own  gullibility  never  seems  to  occur  to 
them.  The  government  forbids  the  sale  or 
export  of  antiquities  and  posts  placards  to 
this  effect  in  all  public  places. 

Again  toward  the  close  of  day  we  wan- 
dered through  the  columned  aisles  of  Luxor's 
Temple,  past  its  standing  giants  and  en- 
throned colossi,  and  at  sunset  reached  the  high 
bluff  on  the  river  bank  where  the  Egyptian 
women  congregate  nightly  with  their  pictur- 
esque jars. 


On  the  Nile, 
Friday,  December  16th. 

AT  ten  this  morning,  the  "  Rameses  "  made 
Esneh,  where  we  stopped  an  hour.  Climbing 
the  high  bank  we  wralked  through  the  primi- 
tive little  village.  It  was  market-day  and  the 
town-square  was  crowded  with  country  folk 
displaying  their  wares;  clay  pipes  and  bowls, 
bright  slippers  and  tinselled  scarfs,  were 
spread  all  over  the  ground.  In  one  corner 
sat  a  maiden  buying  a  red  glass  bangle.  She 
had  to  soap  her  hand,  and  squeeze  and  squeeze, 
to  force  it  over  her  knuckles  —  once  on,  it 
need  never  come  off  and  would  be  a  joy  for 
ever. 

A  large  escort  self-appointed ,  followed  us 
the  short  distance  to  the  Temple  of  Esneh. 
The  building  was  entirely  buried.  A  long 
flight  of  steps  led  down  into  the  lofty  central 
hall,  the  only  portion  excavated.  The  present 
edifice  dates  from  the  time  of  the  Roman 
Empire,  and  in  architecture  and  decoration 
resembles  that  of  Denderah,  the  bas-reliefs  on 
wall  and  column  being  likewise  four-tiered. 

197 


198     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

The  Temple  of  Edfu,  which  we  reached  at 
three  this  afternoon,  is  the  most  complete  of 
the  early  Egyptian  shrines,  and  the  best  pre- 
served ancient  building  in  existence.  It  dates 
back  to  the  third  century  B.  c.,  and  although 
formerly  covered  with  debris,  has  been  en- 
tirely excavated.  It  is  unique  in  that  a  high 
girdling  wall  encircles  the  whole  structure, 
leaving  an  inner  passage  around  the  entire 
temple  proper. 

In  the  great  cloistered  court  the  populace 
was  wont  to  assemble  to  witness  the  sacrifices 
offered  on  the  altar  that  stood  in  its  centre. 
The  imposing  hypostyle  hall  was  adorned 
with  reliefs  of  Cleopatra  and  her  husband, 
Euergetes,  adoring  the  gods.  One  small  cham- 
ber was  the  library ;  on  the  walls  of  which  were 
hieroglyphed  a  catalogue  of  its  clay  tablets 
long  since  destroyed.  The  extent  of  the 
Temple,  its  elaborate  decoration  and  wonder- 
ful state  of  preservation  gives  one  a  most 
adequate  idea  of  an  ancient  Egyptian  house 
of  worship. 

As  we  raced  through  the  village  to  the 
landing  B.'s  donkey  began  to  bray,  and  from 
some  side  alley  came  an  answering  whinny. 
Looking  behind,  B.  saw  a  baby  donkey  come 
running  after  its  mother.  B.  spurred  on  with 
all  possible  speed,  and  the  dapper  little  Egyp- 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     199 

tian  soldier,  who  had  accompanied  the  party  to 
the  ruin  and  had  escorted  her  to  the  top  of  a 
shaky  pylon,  now  dashed  up  on  his  spirited 
steed  and  assisted  her  to  dismount  before  the 
hungry  little  beast  arrived. 

We  found  dear  Madam  Shinn  anxiously 
awaiting  our  return.  With  the  contentment 
of  age  she  enjoys  the  leisurely  life  of  the  boat 
and  spends  her  days  on  deck,  the  recipient  of 
the  attentions  of  the  whole  ship,  —  flowers, 
postcards,  curios  and  coins,  all  are  showered 
upon  her.  Although  a  ready  listener  to  all 
our  exploits,  she  steadfastly  refuses  to  accom- 
pany us  on  any  expedition  inland.  Her  fa- 
vourite reading  is  President  Roosevelt's  "  Big 
Game  Hunting  in  the  Rockies."  She  takes 
especial  delight  in  his  description  of  the  black- 
tailed  deer  and  the  white-tailed  deer,  which 
she  always  describes  as  "so  very  interesting!  " 

One  evening  after  dinner,  as  we  stood  about 
the  deck  drinking  our  coffee,  Madam  seated 
herself  at  the  piano  and  began  playing  the 
Russian  hymn,  to  the  surprise  and  delight  of 
every  one.  Then  followed  "  America,"  which 
pleased  both  her  British  and  her  American 
audience,  and  finally  she  set  the  feet  of  the 
young  folks  in  motion  with  a  sprightly  jig. 


On  the  Nile, 
Saturday,  December  17th. 

THIS  morning  early  we  passed  through  the 
narrow  gorge  of  Silsileh,  glimpses  of  which 
we  got  through  our  cabin-windows  while 
dressing.  The  formation  here  changes  to 
limestone,  and  it  is  from  these  cliffs  that 
many  of  the  statues  and  building  blocks  of 
the  temples  of  Upper  Egypt  have  been  taken. 

At  nine  we  went  ashore  at  a  deserted  spot 
to  visit  the  Temple  of  Kom  Ombo,  which  is 
splendidly  situated  on  a  high  bluff  directly 
overlooking  the  river.  The  propylasa  has 
been  washed  away  by  the  Nile,  but  the  build- 
ing is  now  protected  from  further  encroach- 
ment by  a  stone  wall  erected  in  front  of  it. 

The  Temple  of  Kom  Ombo  is  peculiar  in 
being  dedicated  to  two  deities  —  to  Horus  the 
hawk-headed  god  and  to  Sobk  the  crocodile- 
headed  god,  spirits  of  good  and  evil.  Not 
only  has  it  two  main  doorways  to  hypostyle 
and  vestibules,  but  also  two  inner  sanctuaries, 
side  by  side.  As  we  paused  near  the  entrance 
to  the  little  Birth  House  we  were  surprised 

800 


TEMPLE   OF   KOM   OMBO. 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     201 

to  discover  on  its  floor  six  or  eight  crocodile 
mummies  of  various  sizes. 

The  natives  who  came  to  meet  us  were  Sou- 
danese, bearing  deep  scars  on  their  temples  — 
tribal  gashes  made  in  infancy.  Tall,  slender, 
of  very  black  skin  and  with  hair  braided  in 
tiny  wisps  —  they  are  a  much  more  primitive 
type  than  the  Egyptians  of  the  Delta. 

"Look  at  the  May  Queens!"  called  the 
Professor,  as  three  or  four  naked  children 
fantastically  garlanded  with  wreaths  of  green- 
ery round  head  and  hips  sprang  out  of  the 
bushes  and  came  dancing  toward  us  down  the 
path  with  outstretched  palms.  But  it  was  the 
naked  little  hunchback  who  reaped  the  richest 
harvest  of  coppers  from  our  party.  After 
the  steamer  had  swung  out  into  mid-stream, 
we  looked  back  and  saw  him  resurrect  from 
a  potato-patch  his  erstwhile  discarded  rags 
and  scramble  into  them. 

The  arable  strip  here  narrows  to  two  or 
three  hundred  feet,  the  desert  almost  descend- 
ing to  the  river  on  both  sides. 

We  are  now  nearing  the  end  of  our  course, 
and  although  eager  to  see  Assuan  and  Philse 
we  nevertheless  feel  a  regret  that  our  explo- 
ration in  this  ancient  and  fascinating  land 
will  so  soon  be  over.  It  has  taken  twelve  days 
to  come  thus  far,  and  we  will  go  back  in 


202     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

seven,  touching  at  but  two  new  points  — 
Abydos  and  Tell  el-Amarna. 

Soon  after  three  o'clock  we  arrived  at  the 
foot  of  the  First  Cataract  and  tied  up  at  As- 
suan,  the  Syene  of  the  Greeks,  the  southern 
boundary  of  ancient  Egypt  and  the  begin- 
ning of  Nubia.  Here  we  remain  the  next  two 
days. 

Assuan  is  a  town  of  hotels,  all  built  on  the 
one  main  street  fronting  the  water,  with  the 
Cataract  House  at  the  extreme  southern  end 
around  a  bend  in  the  river  on  the  very  edge 
of  the  desert.  Its  verandah  faces  the  setting 
sun  and  overlooks  the  Nile,  wrhich  at  this 
point  is  broken  into  many  channels  by  huge 
boulders  rising  from  the  river-bed.  Although 
but  a  few  years  old /Cataract  House  has  been 
enlarged  twice.  Its  interior  has  the  horse- 
shoe arches  and  fine  lattice  screens  of  Moor- 
ish architecture. 

Hafiz  had  a  number  of  row-boats  in  wait- 
ing and  took  us  across  from  Assuan  to  the 
upper  end  of  the  large  rocky  Island  of  Ele- 
phantine, called  by  the  ancients  "  The  Door 
of  Egypt  on  the  South."  This  southern  key 
to  the  country,  the  Romans  always  kept  care- 
fully guarded,  their  two  other  garrisons  being 
stationed  respectively  at  Cairo  and  Alexandria, 
to  fend  off  attacks  from  the  east  and  the  sea. 


ASSUAN    FROM    THE    ISLAND    OF    ELEPHANTINE. 


THE    ISLAND    OF    ELEPHANTINE,    OPPOSITE    ASSUAN. 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     203 

We  inspected  the  ancient  Nilometer  stand- 
ing in  the  island's  famous  well,  which  the 
early  Egyptians  believed  lay  directly  on  the 
tropic.  This  marble  column  to-day  as  of  old 
records  the  height  of  the  river.  Strabo  men- 
tions it  and  says  that  the  measurements  told 
on  this  shaft  were  watched  by  peasant  and 
assessor  alike,  for  the  higher  the  Nile  the 
greater  the  taxes. 

An  arch  and  a  few  slabs  of  granite  bearing 
an  inscription  of  the  Emperor  Trajan  are  all 
that  remain  of  buildings  of  the  period  of  the 
Roman  Empire.  The  view  from  the  top  of 
the  island  south  up  the  narrow  mountain 
gorge  through  which  the  Cataract  dashes  over 
stones  and  around  black  boulders,  with  the 
sun  sinking  behind  the  western  bank,  is  most 
beautiful ! 

A  short  distance  above  Elephantine  is  an- 
other smaller  island  which  has  been  purchased 
as  an  estate  by  an  Englishman  who  intends 
to  make  it  his  home.  As  the  island  is  mostly 
barren  rock,  shiploads  of  earth  are  being  spread 
over  it,  preparatory  to  the  making  of  a  gar- 
den. 

At  the  railway  station  we  saw  a  group  of 
camels  kneel  to  be  relieved  of  their  loads 
which  were  at  once  transferred  to  the  freight 
vans  of  a  train  bound  for  Cairo.  Assuan  is 


204     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

an  important  shipping  centre;  thither  come 
camel  caravans  from  many  inland  points  — 
Dongola,  the  Soudan  and  farther  Central 
Africa. 


Assuan, 
Sunday,  December  18th. 

THIS  is  a  most  fascinating  town.  All  day 
long  sleek  well-groomed  camels  in  bright 
scarlet  trappings  are  paraded  up  and  down 
the  boulevard  by  Bisharin  tribesmen  who  are 
noted  for  possessing  the  finest  animals  of  this 
class,  and  who  seek  to  divide  with  the  Egyp- 
tian and  his  burro  the  shekels  of  the  tourist. 
Each  driver  carries  a  clean  goatskin  ready  to 
throw  over  his  patron's  saddle.  The  soft  high 
feminine  voices  of  these  children  of  the  desert 
are  most  persuasive.  Several  of  our  passen- 
gers, the  bride  and  groom  from  Chicago 
among  the  number,  succumbed  to  their  lisp- 
ing blandishments  and  even  had  themselves 
photographed  up  aloft. 

By  the  way,  there  is  a  great  difference  be- 
tween camels.  The  Arabian  species  is  more 
correctly  a  dromedary,  having  but  a  single 
hump;  his  easy  gait  and  docile  temper  gives 
him  the  ladies'  preference.  In  point  of  speed, 
also,  he  is  superior  to  the  sour-faced,  loose- 
lipped,  snarling  camel  from  Bactria,  who, 

206 


206     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

like  the  elephant,  has  a  long  memory  for 
slights,  and  repays  injury  with  interest,  and 
whose  two  humps  shake  you  just  that  much 
more.  All  the  camels  in  Egypt  seem  to  be 
of  the  latter  variety,  one  excursion  on  which 
quite  satisfies  the  tourist's  ambition  to  ride 
this  noble  beast. 

The  Bisharin  is  the  most  picturesque  figure 
in  Assuan,  and  the  most  primitive  inhabitant 
of  Egypt  we  have  encountered  in  our  journey 
through  this  ancient  land.  Tall  and  slender, 
with  long  face,  square  brow  and  protruding 
lower  lip,  he  is  especially  conspicuous  by  rea- 
son of  the  mass  of  kinky  black  hair  which 
bushes  out  like  a  halo  all  over  his  head,  and 
falls  about  his  neck  in  a  short  thick  cluster 
of  tiny  braids  terminating  in  a  coin  or  a 
cowrie,  the  whole  caked  with  mud  or  matted 
with  castor-oil  made  from  bushes  grown  by 
himself. 

Scattered  along  the  Upper  Nile  are  nine 
of  these  Bisharin  tribes  over  whom  the  Egyp- 
tian government  has  placed  one  of  their  own 
sheiks,  resident  at  Edfu.  They  are  not  an 
agricultural  people,  but  support  themselves 
by  fishing  and  by  raising  goats  and  camels, 
the  tending  of  which  is  the  care  of  the  chil- 
dren. A  good  camel  will  bring  twenty  dol- 
lars, United  States  coin. 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     207 

As  nomads,  wandering  over  the  desert,  the 
Bisharin  were  a  war-like,  barbaric  people; 
but  contact  with  civilization  has  caused  them 
to  deteriorate;  their  bravery  and  independ- 
ence have  vanished  and  they  have  grown  weak 
and  timid.  Although  quick  to  learn  and 
easily  pleased,  they  seem  unable  to  acquire 
the  more  stable  qualities  of  manhood,  and 
their  race  is  not  likely  to  endure  long.  Being 
allowed  the  freedom  of  the  town,  the  Bisharin 
add  greatly  to  the  entertainment  of  the  tour- 
ist. 

They  wear  a  long  white  cotton  sheet  loosely 
draped  over  the  left  shoulder  and  about  the 
hips;  the  baggy  trousers  which  hang  on  their 
slender  figures  are  of  the  same  material. 
Their  weapons  are  long  javelins  and  curious 
sets  of  knives  and  daggers,  the  sheath  being 
a  baby  alligator  skin,  the  feet  of  which  are 
also  enclosed  and  made  into  short  cross-pock- 
ets for  smaller  blades.  As  we  walked  about 
Assuan  the  Bisharin  followed  beseeching  us 
in  gentle,  childish  voices  to  purchase  their 
strange  weapons.  One  thought  to  make  us 
capitulate  by  posing  as  a  convert:  —  "I 
Clithstian,  lady,  pleth  buy! " 

The  bazaars,  like  those  of  Cairo,  are  a 
series  of  low  covered  ways  and  are  stocked 
with  ostrich  feathers,  skins  and  horns  from 


208     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

the  interior  of  Africa,  and  steel  swords  and 
blades  inscribed  with  texts  from  the  Koran; 
all  souvenirs  from  the  battle  of  Omdurman, 
September,  1898  —  or  at  least,  so  their  own- 
ers will  swear  to  you. 

Opposite  the  Cataract  House  is  a  pretty 
Moorish  building  which  we  mistook  yester- 
day for  an  Egyptian  mosque,  but  which  we 
discovered  this  morning,  when  in  search  of 
the  Episcopal  service,  was  an  innocent  little 
English  church  built  for  the  benefit  of  tour- 
ists. 

This  afternoon  our  party  drove  out  a  short 
distance  into  the  desert  to  the  ancient  granite 
quarries  of  Assuan.  Although  our  victorias 
had  iron  tires  four  inches  wide,  made  ex- 
pressly to  prevent  the  wheels  sinking  into  the 
sand,  we  had  not  gone  far  when  the  horses 
attached  to  the  Professor's  carriage  balked 
and  refused  to  haul  the  vehicle  over  the  heavy 
road. 

"  It's  always  my  luck  to  be  the  Jonah  of 
the  party! "  the  Professor  good-naturedly  ex- 
claimed, as  he  and  Miss  Shinn  got  out  and 
stood  roaring  with  laughter  at  the  efforts  of 
the  men  to  start  the  wheels  and  the  horses  at 
the  same  moment.  It  was  evidently  an  old 
trick  of  these  animals,  and  not  unexpected, 
for  an  Arab,  who  must  have  been  following, 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     209 

came  on  the  instant  to  the  driver's  assist- 
ance. 

Finally  at  the  foot  of  a  low  rocky  ridge  we 
left  the  carriages  and  plodded  on  on  foot 
through  deep  sand  to  inspect  the  great  boulders 
and  masses  of  grayish  pink  rock  which  form 
the  quarry  of  Assuan.  It  is  an  exceedingly 
hard  stone,  and  from  this  ridge  most  of  the 
granite  blocks,  statues,  and  obelisks  of  the 
temples  of  Lower  Egypt  had  been  hewn.  We 
saw  many  right-angled  niches  from  which 
square  slabs  had  been  cut.  The  mark  of  the 
wedge  is  noticeable  everywhere;  a  series  of 
holes  two  or  three  inches  deep  had  been  drilled 
in  the  stone;  wooden  wedges  inserted  and 
water  poured  over  them;  the  swelling  of  the 
wood  split  the  stone  in  a  clean  straight  line. 
The  Egyptian  artisans  were  skilful  mechanics, 
their  masons  using  a  bronze  tool  with  a  sharp 
edge.  They  were  also  early  acquainted  with 
the  tubular  drill  set  with  jewelled  teeth,  and 
their  work  has  never  been  surpassed. 

A  little  higher  up  the  hill,  there  lay,  only 
partly  detached,  and  with  its  lower  twenty 
feet  still  buried  in  sand,  a  huge  obelisk  ninety 
feet  long.  Think  of  the  labour  of  rolling 
such  a  shaft  over  the  sand  and  then  loading 
it  on  a  barge! 

Not  far  beyond  we  came  upon  a  Bisharin 


210     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

camp.  Their  tents  made  of  woven  reeds  or 
fine  matting  were  set  up  in  the  centre  of  an 
ancient  Arabian  cemetery.  A  number  of  the 
men  and  children  came  running  out  to  greet 
us  —  tall,  lithe  figures,  erect  and  handsome. 
The  women,  who  are  seldom  seen  in  town, 
now  kept  in  the  background;  they  ornament 
the  left  nostril  by  embedding  a  small  scarlet 
bean  in  the  cuticle. 

Stopping  the  carriage  we  asked  the  men  to 
dance.  Laughing  and  chattering  they  formed 
a  semi-circle  and  began  to  sing,  "Al-lah'I 
Allah'! "  clapping  their  hands  to  emphasize 
the  last  syllable,  while  one  agile  young  fellow 
stood  in  the  centre  facing  them,  and  at  every 
cry  bounded  straight  up  into  the  air,  four  feet 
at  a  jump,  his  diaphanous  drapery  and  vo- 
luminous trousers  fluttering  in  the  breeze  and 
his  long  kinky  locks  flapping  up  and  down 
to  the  rhythm  of  their  measure.  I  could  not 
help  feeling  how  easy  it  would  be  for  these 
emotional  people  to  work  themselves  into  a 
war-fever.  For  this  simple  and  ludicrous  ex- 
hibition we  distributed  some  milliemes,  but 
the  sum  was  evidently  far  below  expectation, 
for  the  recipients  threatened  to  make  a  raid 
on  us,  when  we  whipped  up  and  fled. 

A  turn  in  the  road  disclosed  the  low  mud 
huts  of  a  Nubian  village.  The  Nubians  are 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     211 

a  larger,  stouter  people  than  the  Bisharin, 
black  as  coal,  slower  of  movement,  and  good- 
natured  and  smiling,  like  our  American  negro. 

After  afternoon  tea,  in  the  cool  of  the  day, 
we  took  a  felucca  and  were  again  ferried 
across  to  the  Island  of  Elephantine,  a  five 
minutes'  row.  A  long  wide  flight  of  stone 
steps  conducted  us  to  the  beautiful  grounds 
of  the  Savoy  Hotel,  where  the  desert  is  lit- 
erally turned  into  a  garden.  Bits  of  lawn 
carefully  tended,  rows  of  tall  pink  and  white 
oleander,  scarlet  poinsettia,  beds  of  La  France 
and  Pearl  of  the  Garden  roses,  and  large 
bushes  of  blood-red  hibiscus  made  a  gorgeous 
mass  of  colour.  The  wide  trenches  round 
each  bush  testified  to  the  amount  of  water 
required.  In  this  barren  land  a  spot  of  green- 
ery is  a  welcome  sight  to  the  eye. 

Assuan  is  a  charming  place  for  an  invalid, 
but  an  able-bodied  person  might  find  it  a 
trifle  monotonous.  There  is  little  to  do  but 
sail  on  the  Nile,  ride  a  donkey  off  into  the 
desert,  loaf,  or  play  croquet  —  with  an  accent 
of  the  first  syllable,  according  to  the  British 
dictum.  The  climate  is  considered  above 
criticism,  but  all  the  three  days  of  our  stay 
there  has  been  a  stiff  breeze  from  off  the  desert, 
which  at  times,  I  am  told,  gets  to  be  a  reg- 
ular sirocco.  Moreover,  although  the  atmos- 


212     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

phere  is  dry,  there  is  great  variation  of  tem- 
perature in  the  twenty-four  hours,  mornings 
and  evenings  being  cold,  while  noonday  is 
decidedly  hot. 


MAIN  BOULEVARD.  ASSUAN. 


NORTHERN  END  OF  THE  ISLAND  OF  ELEPHANTINE. 


BEACH  ON  THE  ISLAND  OF  ELEPHANTINE. 


Assuan> 
Monday,  December  19th. 

THIS  was  the  day  reserved  for  the  visit  to 
the  great  dam.  B.  and  Miss  Shinn  went  by 
train  to  Shellal,  but  as  we  will  not  have  many 
more  opportunities  to  ride,  the  Professor  and 
I  decided  to  go  the  six  miles  on  donkeys. 
My  beast  was  a  racer  and  put  out  for  the 
desert  at  a  lively  gallop  without  waiting  for 
me  to  learn  which  road  to  take.  He  had  spied 
some  riders  ahead,  although  not  of  our  party, 
and  set  out  to  overtake  them.  I  only  hoped 
they  were  going  where  I  was  supposed  to  be 
going.  I  sawed  on  the  bridle,  but  it  was  an 
old  one  and  beginning  to  split,  and  I  had 
much  ado  to  hold  the  animal. 

The  Professor  had  flourished  his  rhinoceros 
hide  at  starting  and  laid  out  two  donkey  boys 
with  a  cut  apiece  when  they  attempted  to 
hasten  his  Rosinante,  and  left  them  far  be- 
hind. He  appeared  upon  the  horizon  half 
an  hour  later  with  a  third  who,  however,  kept 
a  respectful  distance. 

As  we  neared  the  little  village  of  Shellal 
we  caught  sight  of  the  beautiful  calyx- 

213 


214     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

crowned  columns,  temples  and  kiosque  of 
picturesque  Philse  rising  golden-brown  from 
the  centre  of  what  seemed  to  be  a  great  lake. 
It  was  the  vast  reservoir  confined  by  the 
massive  wall  of  the  dam  across  its  southern 
outlet. 

The  Nile  reaches  its  maximum  level  the 
last  of  October,  when  it  measures,  at  the  foot 
of  the  First  Cataract,  a  rise  of  fifty  feet  above 
low  water  mark,  while  at  Cairo  the  tide 
touches  but  half  that  height. 

Canopied  barges,  gay  with  red  cushions, 
and  with  tiny  scarlet  pennants  dressing  the 
ropes,  conveyed  us  to  the  island,  which  the 
natives  have  localized  as  the  scene  from  "  The 
Thousand  and  One  Nights,"  relating  to  the 
Vizier's  imprisonment  of  his  beautiful  daugh- 
ter Zahr-el-ward,  Flower  of  the  Rose,  to  keep 
her  from  the  attention  of  the  king's  favourite. 
In  the  end  the  lovers  married  and  were  happy 
ever  after. 

In  ancient  times  Philse  was  just  over  the 
Nubian  line,  and  not  included  in  Egyptian 
territory.  Even  Herodotus  fails  to  chronicle 
it.  During  the  reign  of  the  Ptolemies  Nubia 
was  a  powerful  independent  kingdom,  em- 
bracing all  modern  Nubia  and  the  northern 
Soudan,  and  was  ruled  by  queens  bearing  the 
title  of  Candace. 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     215 

"  It  is  the  eunuch  of  a  Candace,"  say 
Messrs.  Hall  and  King,  "  who  was  con- 
verted to  Christianity  as  he  was  returning 
from  a  mission  to  Jerusalem  to  salute  Je- 
hovah. '  Go  and  join  thyself  unto  his  char- 
iot,' was  the  command  to  Philip,  and  when 
the  Ethiopian  had  heard  the  gospel  from  his 
lips  he  went  on  his  way  rejoicing." 

Meroe  was  the  capital  of  this  Candace; 
here  and  at  Naga  were  semi-barbaric  temples 
of  Egyptian  type.  Various  Pharaohs  had 
also  built  shrines  in  the  deserts  of  Nubia. 
Pyramids  erected  over  some  very  early  sep- 
ulchres are  now  found  at  Barkal  —  a  curious 
renaissance  of  ancient  tomb-architecture  in 
the  very  latest  era  of  Egyptian  history. 

The  temples  now  covering  the  Island  of 
Philse  date  from  the  Ptolemaic  epoch,  and 
were  dedicated  to  Isis  and  Osiris.  These 
buildings  are  beautiful  and  ornate  though 
small;  their  charm  is  feminine  compared  with 
the  rugged  masculine  strength  of  Karnak's 
giant  towers.  Philae  was  supposed  to  be  one 
of  the  burial-places  of  Osiris,  and  on  the  de- 
cline of  his  cult  at  Abydos,  this  fane  attained 
great  vogue.  It  was  called  the  Holy  Island 
and  no  one  was  allowed  to  land  without  the 
permission  of  its  priest. 

Philae  being  so  far  south  was  one  of  the 


216     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

last  places  in  Egypt  to  come  under  Christian 
influence.  Sacrifices  were  offered  at  this 
shrine  as  late  as  the  time  of  the  Christian 
Emperor  Justinian. 

Our  landing  was  made  at  a  broad  flight 
of  stone  steps  leading  to  a  granite  quay. 
Along  the  western  wall  is  a  splendid  colon- 
nade a  hundred  yards  in  length.  Most  of 
the  year  the  temples  are  inundated,  but  for- 
tunately it  is  yet  early  in  the  season  and  the 
floor  of  the  great  court  is  still  dry.  Here 
we  found  three  artists  in  as  many  corners 
busy  with  palette  and  brush,  working  against 
time  and  tide  which  will  overtake  them  two 
weeks  hence.  The  columns  are  a  deep  golden- 
brown  and  their  floral  capitals  are  painted  in 
soft  pastel  reds  and  turquoise  blues  and  greens 
—  more  colour  than  we  have  seen  on  the  pil- 
lars of  any  other  temple.  Behind  an  over- 
turned altar  in  an  inner  chamber  is  a  niche 
which  was  probably  the  perch  of  the  sacred 
hawk  Strabo  mentions,  "  as  sick  and  nearly 
dead  "  when  he  was  at  Philse  on  his  famous 
visit  to  Egypt. 

From  the  top  of  the  pylon  sixty  feet  high 
before  the  Temple  of  Isis  we  could  overlook 
the  whole  Island,  and  were  amazed  at  the 
extent  of  its  buildings.  Climbing  over  the 
various  levels  of  the  roof,  we  came  to  the 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     217 

shrine's  most  holy  chapel,  the  Osiris  chamber. 
On  its  walls  are  frescoed  the  story  of  the 
god's  death  and  resurrection.  The  several 
parts  of  his  body,  said  to  be  buried  in  four- 
teen separate  places,  are  suggested  by  vari- 
ous drawings,  —  a  mitred  crown,  a  head  sur- 
mounting a  column,  an  arm  and  head  resting 
on  a  stela,  a  pair  of  legs  reposing  on  a  pylon. 

Lower  down  four  canopic  jars  are  pic- 
tured, supporting  a  bier  on  which  lies  the 
mummy  of  the  god.  Beyond  again  the  body 
of  Osiris  is  seen  hedged  about  with  blos- 
soming lotus  buds  rising  on  slender  stalks  — 
the  lotus  the  emblem  of  eternal  life.  A 
third  couch  discovers  the  lifeless  form  at  the 
moment  of  returning  consciousness,  with  head, 
left  arm,  and  leg  uplifted,  as  if  in  an  effort 
to  rise.  Above  the  body  poises  the  winged 
Nephthys,  breathing  upon  Osiris  the  breath 
of  life,  while  beside  him  stands  the  sublime 
Isis  calling  to  him  with  outstretched  arms  to 
awake  from  his  long  sleep  to  the  endless  bliss 
of  immortality.  This  is  the  most  beautiful 
and  precious  of  all  the  legends  of  ancient 
Egypt.  By  no  more  sacred  oath  could  the 
Egyptian  swear  than  "  By  him  who  sleeps  at 
Phifce!" 

Below  exploration  on  foot  was  limited  by 
the  invading  water.     Resuming  our  seats  in 


218     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

the  boat,  we  were  rowed  around  on  a  level 
with  the  capitals  of  columns,  in  and  out  of 
vestibules  and  arcades,  and  finally  came  close 
to  the  exquisite  little  Kiosque,  familiarly 
known  as  "  Pharaoh's  Bed,"  which  figures  in 
every  picture  of  Philse.  It  reminded  me  for 
size  and  grace  of  the  Erectheum  of  the  Par- 
thenon. The  delicate  calyx  capitals  of  the 
Kiosque  were  left  unfinished.  The  plain  square 
block  above  each  was  to  have  been  shaped  into 
a  head  of  the  goddess  Hathor.  The  reliefs 
on  the  inner  walls  representing  Trajan  making 
offerings  to  Isis  are  likewise  incomplete. 

Small  boys  in  short  dug-outs  pursued  us, 
one  hand  outstretched  for  bakshish,  the  other 
bailing  out  water  —  their  brown  bodies  wet 
from  frequent  capsizings,  glistened  in  the 
sunshine. 

A  ten  minutes'  row  brought  us  to  the  steps 
of  the  great  dam  across  the  top  of  which  we 
were  pushed  in  hand-cars  used  for  carrying 
stone.  The  Professor  kept  saying  that  the 
water  was  damned  —  irretrievably  damned! 
I  warned  him  not  to  baptize  in  it,  or  he  might 
turn  up  in  the  next  world  at  the  wrong  place. 

The  dam,  which  is  the  largest  in  existence, 
is  a  mile  and  a  quarter  long,  92.4  feet  high, 
82.5  feet  thick  at  the  base  and  26.4  feet  wide 
at  the  crest.  It  was  begun  in  1898  and  com- 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     219 

pleted  December  10,  1902.  Its  hundred  and 
eighty  sluices,  averaging  twenty-three  feet  in 
width,  are  arranged  on  four  different  levels. 
Part  of  the  sluices  only  were  open,  and  the 
water  poured  through  these  with  tremendous 
force,  forming  far  finer  cataracts  than  the 
natural  one  below.  A  canal  and  four  locks 
thirty  feet  wide  has  been  made  on  one  side 
the  dam,  for  the  passage  of  ships  to  the  Up- 
per Nile.  The  river  begins  to  rise  in  July 
and  by  the  end  of  November  the  sluice  gates 
are  closed  one  after  another.  Toward  the 
last  of  February  the  reservoir  is  full.  The 
water  is  distributed  by  the  first  of  July  when 
the  river  is  again  at  normal  level. 

The  engineers  thought  the  water  of  the 
reservoir  should  be  a  hundred  and  fourteen 
metres  above  sea-level  in  order  to  impound 
sufficient  for  irrigating  the  country,  but  out 
of  deference  to  the  archaeologists,  who  wished 
to  protect  Philse  from  inundation,  they  made 
it  only  a  hundred  and  six  metres  high,  with 
the  result  that  Egypt  clamours  for  another 
dam,  and  Philse  is  flooded  most  of  the  year. 

Behold  how  nature  mocketh  at  man's  vain 
efforts  to  improve  her  workmanship!  This 
Assuan  dam  which  was  to  furnish  an  inex- 
haustible supply  of  water,  and  abolish  famine 
in  Egypt,  is  now  cursed  with  all  the  fervour 


220     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

of  Oriental  hyperbole  by  the  very  fellaheen 
who  expected  untold  benefit  from  its  con- 
struction. 

Water  there  is  in  plenty,  but  the  crops 
grow  less  and  less,  the  cotton  poorer  and 
poorer,  its  fibre  ever  more  brittle.  The  sci- 
entists must  once  more  go  to  school  and  learn 
to  undo  the  harm  their  famous  barrier  has 
wrought.  Impounding  the  water  has  like- 
wise precipitated  the  rich  sediment,  which, 
brought  from  the  upper  reaches  of  the  Nile, 
had  fertilized  and  enriched  the  lower  valley, 
and  had  produced  the  fabulous  crops  of 
former  uncontrolled  high  Niles.  The  work 
which  was  supposed  to  be  finished  is  in  reality 
only  just  begun. 

The  Egyptian  government  has  nevertheless 
now  definitely  decided  to  raise  the  Assuan 
dam  eight  metres.  The  archaeologists,  how- 
ever, are  to  be  allowed  five  years  in  which 
to  make  a  continuous  excavation  of  both 
banks  of  the  Nile  for  a  hundred  and  fifty 
kilometres  in  Nubia,  from  Kalabsche  to  Derr. 

Dr.  George  A.  Reisner,  formerly  of  the 
University  of  California,  has  been  appointed 
superintending  archaeologist,  to  excavate  the 
buried  monuments  along  the  route,  and  pub- 
lish records  of  the  same.  Prof.  Maspero  is 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     221 

to  have  charge  of  the  restoring  of  known  tem- 
ples, and  the  copying  of  their  inscriptions. 

A  gentleman  from  New  York  offered 
three  and  a  half  million  dollars  for  the  priv- 
ilege of  transporting  the  Temple  of  Philae 
to  America  and  setting  it  up  in  Central  Park. 
But  Egypt  realizes  too  well  the  income  her 
tourists  bring,  to  part  with  such  a  treasure. 
The  Government  has,  at  a  cost  of  £22,000, 
had  the  whole  temple  braced  up,  underpinned 
and  bound  together  with  steel  girders  encased 
in  wrater-tight  cement,  and  stretching  from 
quay  to  quay.  The  Kiosque  and  colonnade  in 
particular  have  been  firmly  underpinned  with 
cement  piers  and  are  now  in  fact  more  stable 
than  any  other  temple  in  Egypt. 

We  had  tiffin  on  the  Rest  House  verandah, 
under  a  canvas  awning,  high  on  the  west- 
ern bank,  overlooking  the  calm  expanse  of 
the  reservoir  lake,  with  Philse  floating  in  the 
distance,  and  the  waterfalls  of  the  sluices 
roaring  at  our  feet.  Beyond  the  dam,  B. 
scooped  up  from  the  Nubian  Desert  a  hand- 
kerchief full  of  sand,  with  which  to  stock  an 
hour-glass.  Later  she  learned  that  this  sand 
was  much  too  coarse  to  pass  the  regulation 
time-piece  of  our  forefathers. 

Walking  along  the  stone  quay  we  could 


222     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

gaze  down  into  the  three  locks,  the  water  of 
the  upper  one  eighty  feet  below.  The  locks 
were  crowded  with  small  steamers,  barges, 
and  sailing  craft  built  for  the  upper  reaches 
of  the  Nile.  Six  of  our  passengers  here  took 
leave  of  us  to  go  a  wreek's  journey  farther 
up  the  river  to  the  Second  Cataract  and  to 
Khartoum,  beyond  which  begins  Ethiopia. 

We  had  planned  to  shoot  the  Cataract  on 
our  return  and  got  into  a  large  stout  row- 
boat  manned  by  six  men,  one  at  each  oar. 
After  leaving  the  lock  we  carefully  threaded 
our  way  in  and  out  among  big  boulders  and 
basaltic  rocks  until  the  current  caught  us  and 
swept  us  into  the  rapids.  For  a  minute 
things  were  lively!  The  boat  danced  and 
rocked  and  a  big  wave  came  over  the  side 
and  drenched  the  crew;  but  the  excitement 
was  over  before  it  had  well  begun.  The  re- 
maining six  miles  we  simply  rowed  down 
stream  with  the  aid  of  the  strong  current,  the 
crew  singing  as  they  plied  the  oars.  We  were 
thankful  for  the  awning,  which  protected  us 
from  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun,  and  shut  out 
the  reflection  from  the  rocky  cliffs  of  the  nar- 
row gorge. 

I  have  just  learned  that  there  are  six  cat- 
aracts in  the  Nile.  This  first  one  extends 
over  six  miles,  nearly  the  whole  way  from 


THE   CATARACT  ABOVE   ASSUAN. 


BOATS   ENTERING   THE   LOCKS   NEAR  THE   DAM   ABOVE   ASSUAN. 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     223 

Philse  to  Assuan,  and  is  merely  a  series  of 
rapids. 

Toward  the  lower  end  of  the  Cataract  we 
came  to  the  Island  of  Sehel,  which  has  more 
than  two  hundred  ancient  inscriptions  en- 
graved on  the  faces  of  its  rocks.  One,  dating 
from  the  Ptolemaic  epoch,  repeats  the  tradi- 
tion of  a  low  Nile  lasting  seven  years,  and 
causing  a  seven  years'  famine  in  the  reign  of 
the  very  early  King  Zoser  of  the  Third  Dy-  i<?s>0- 
nasty,  whose  tomb,  the  Step  Pyramid,  we  /  ^ 
saw  at  Sakkarah.  The  inscription  further 
relates  that  the  drought  was  finally  broken 
by  making  offerings  to  the  Cataract  god 
Khnum,  who  again  renewed  the  inundations. 
This  famine  wras  two  thousand  years  before 
that  recorded  in  the  Bible  as  occurring  in  the 
time  of  Joseph.  Khnum  was  the  great  local 
god  of  this  region,  and  the  ram  the  animal 
specially  sacred  to  him.  A  whole  necropolis 
of  these  rams  has  recently  been  unearthed  by 
the  French  on  the  Island  of  Elephantine  — 
the  great  stamping-ground  of  this  god. 

Many  of  the  boulders  in  the  river  are  black 
as  coal  and  must  have  furnished  material  for 
the  dark  diorite  statues  now  housed  in  the 
Cairo  Museum.  Wherever  a  foot  of  soil  finds 
lodgment,  there  the  papyrus  antiquorum  of 
Egypt  grows  wild;  it  is  the  same  tall  reed 


224     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

with  bushy  fibrous  head  which  we  cultivate  in 
California  under  the  name  of  Nile  grass. 
The  two  names  of  this  little  plant  —  byblos 
and  papyrus,  furnish  us  with  our  very  im- 
portant English  nouns  —  "  Bible  "  and  "  pa- 
per." 

I  looked  in  vain  for  crocodile,  and  feel  ag- 
grieved that  the  natives  had  not  scared  a  few 
down  this  far,  for  the  delectation  of  tourists. 
The  little  boys,  who  go  up  and  down  the 
streets  of  Cairo  carrying  stuffed  crocodiles 
on  their  heads,  give  a  false  impression  of  the 
locale  of  these  reptiles.  I  must  confess  I  was 
lured  up  the  river,  partly  by  the  hope  of  see- 
ing them  on  their  native  sand-banks.  Not 
one  did  we  see.  They  are  among  the  delights 
that  await  the  more  venturesome  travellers, 
who  push  inland  to  Khartoum,  crocodiles  now 
being  extinct  north  of  the  Second  Cataract. 

One  woman,  I  am  told,  went  even  farther 
south,  bent  upon  finding  a  hippopotamus  to 
paint  in  his  special  habitat.  A  Greek  drago- 
man in  Cairo  told  of  taking  a  party  of  Amer- 
ican tourists  south  into  Abyssinia  on  a  hunt- 
ing trip.  A  hippopotamus  was  sighted  in  a 
marsh  surrounded  by  tules  or  rushes.  Each 
man  took  his  position,  with  gun  levelled  at 
the  game,  and  the  dragoman  himself  was  sta- 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     225 

tioned  with  a  kodak,  ready  to  snap-shot  the 
scene  for  future  reference  in  proof  of  their 
bravery,  when,  unfortunately  for  the  fame  of 
the  sportsmen,  the  beast  at  that  moment 
turned  toward  them,  and  the  picture  the  cam- 
era caught  was  of  huntsmen  casting  away 
their  weapons  and  fleeing  to  cover. 

It  has  taken  us  just  an  hour  to  return.  As 
we  neared  Assuan  a  drum  was  hauled  out 
from  under  a  seat  and  a  man  began  thrum- 
ming on  it  with  his  fingers  in  lieu  of  drum- 
sticks. Higher  and  higher  sang  the  chorus, 
more  and  more  strident  sounded  the  voices  as 
one  of  the  crew  passed  up  a  dirty  white  cap 
for  bakshish  —  a  gift  —  over  and  above  the 
fare. 

At  sunset  the  Roman  ruins  crowning  the 
southern  end  of  Elephantine's  rocky  ridge 
stood  outlined  against  the  western  horizon; 
the  palm  trees  snowed  like  fine  lace  on  the 
blue  above,  while  the  huge  boulders  of  the 
Cataract  made  black  shadows  on  the  glisten- 
ing water,  which  reflected  the  amber  sky. 

Thus  far  and  no  farther ;  we  have  penetrated 
into  the  country  nearly  seven  hundred  miles 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Nile;  we  have  gone 
to  the  top  of  the  First  Cataract,  walked  over 
its  dam,  and  viewed  the  quarries  from  which 


226     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

all  the  wonders  of  statuary,  obelisks,  and  tem- 
ples have  been  hewn.  To-morrow  we  must 
turn  our  faces  northward  again  toward  the 
more  beaten  paths  of  travel. 


" S.  S.  Barneses" 
Tuesday,  December  20th. 

JUST  after  leaving  Assuan  at  five  this 
morning,  we  were  awakened  by  a  great  shout- 
ing and  splashing.  The  ship  had  run  aground 
and  was  an  hour  in  getting  off.  It  has  taken 
two  weeks  to  come  up  the  river;  by  hard 
steaming  we  have  made  five  and  a  half  miles 
an  hour.  Returning,  with  wind  and  tide  to 
favour  us,  we  will  average  twelve  to  fourteen 
and  cover  the  whole  distance  to  Cairo  in  a 
week.  In  fact  so  rapidly  did  we  move  to-day 
that  I  dared  not  take  my  eyes  off  the  land- 
scape lest  I  miss  something.  It  is  like  a  mov- 
ing panorama,  except  that  we  do  the  moving; 
and,  as  the  channel  is  often  but  a  few  feet 
from  shore,  we  can  see  perfectly  everything 
being  done  on  land. 

The  farther  up  the  Nile  we  go,  the  less 
clothing  the  natives  wear.  A  fellah  will  stand 
all  day  working  at  the  well,  or  hoeing  in  the 
field,  with  nothing  on  but  a  turban  and  a  loin- 
cloth, the  hot  sun  beating  down  on  his  bronze 

227 


228     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

body.  The  colour  of  an  Egyptian's  skin  is 
not  yellow  like  a  Mongolian's,  but  red  —  red 
as  any  army  bean! 

This  afternoon  there  was  a  sudden  jerk 
and  we  stood  still.  For  two  hours  the  sailors 
toiled  while  the  current  swept  the  "  Rameses  " 
clear  around.  Anchors  were  carried  out  in 
boats  and  dropped  in  shallow  water;  then 
every  man  of  the  crew  took  hold  of  the  stout 
rope  attached,  and  pulled  it  along  the  lower 
deck,  stamping  and  shouting  in  unison,  as 
the  nervous  little  quartermaster  in  red  fez 
and  European  uniform  of  blue  cloth  gave  the 
word. 

The  quartermaster  runs  the  ship,  for  there 
is  no  captain.  He  shouts  his  orders  right 
and  left,  runs  fore  and  aft,  lends  a  hand, 
then  jumps  on  the  railing  and  scrambles  aloft 
like  a  monkey  to  see  how  things  are  going  on 
above.  Presently  he  slides  down  another  pil- 
lar to  the  lower  deck  to  boss  the  crew  below. 
After  pulling  on  ropes,  shoving  poles  into 
the  mud,  and  endless  shouting  and  howling, 
we  at  last  slid  off  the  sand-bar  clear  into  four 
feet  of  water,  which  is  all  the  ship  draws.  A 
row-boat  was  sent  out  and  a  half -naked  sailor 
jumped  into  the  yellow  Nile  to  dislodge  the 
anchor;  it  was  hauled  aboard,  and  once  more 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     229 

we  were  in  motion.  Fortunately  it  is  still 
early  in  the  season,  and  the  river  high,  or  we 
would  have  had  many  more  such  delays. 

On  account  of  the  continual  shifting  of  the 
channel,  and  the  fact  that  sand-bars  some- 
times form  over  night,  lighthouses  are  use- 
less. A  picturesque  figure  stands  ever  at  the 
prow,  his  practised  eye  detecting  by  the  col- 
our of  the  water  where  the  shallows  lie. 
Every  few  minutes  he  tests  with  long  pole 
the  depth  of  the  stream  and  calls  out  the  feet 
to  the  pilot  above. 

The  flies  these  warm  days  are  still  one  of 
the  pests  of  Egypt  as  they  were  in  the  time 
of  the  Israelites.  They  are  thick  and  sticky; 
brush  them  away,  and  the  next  moment  they 
return.  If  thus  troublesome  now,  what  must 
they  not  be  in  summer? 

My  sympathies  go  out  to  the  ancient 
Egyptians  who  were  afflicted  with  so  many 
plagues;  Deuteronomy  forgot  to  include  dogs 
in  the  list,  but  they  should  certainly  be 
counted  in.  These  animals  are  as  miserable  a 
looking  lot  as  those  of  Constantinople,  of 
which  Mark  Twain  writes  —  lean,  hungry 
black  curs  with  curly  tails,  and  there  is  the 
same  species  in  yellow.  Every  night  when 
we  tie  up  near  some  town,  we  can  hardly  sleep 


230     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

for  the  yelping  of  the  canine  portion  of  the 
population. ' 

To-night  we  steamed  into  Luxor  just  in 
time  to  see  the  full  moon  rise  behind  the  colon- 
nade of  the  Temple  above  the  landing. 


,£•'      *t-  v 


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HOTEL    GARDEN    AT    LUXOR. 


"  S.  S.  Rameses" 
Wednesday,  December  21st. 

THIS  half  day  the  "  Rameses "  stayed  at 
Luxor  gave  time  for  another  visit  to  the  Tem- 
ple of  Karnak.  It  is  now  familiar  ground 
and  grows  more  wonderful  the  more  we  study 
it.  We  also  strolled  through  the  shady  gar- 
dens of  the  Luxor  hotel  where  statues  of  Mut, 
the  cat-headed  goddess,  taken  from  her  neg- 
lected temple  in  the  suburbs,  were  disposed 
along  the  pathways.  It  was  at  this  hotel  late 
one  evening  on  a  former  visit  I  had  asked  to 
see  the  landlady  if  she  were  not  retiring.  The 
servant  answered,  "  I  go  see,"  and  walking 
to  the  end  of  the  corridor  he  deliberately 
stooped  down  and  peeked  through  the  key- 
hole. Returning,  he  said  that  she  was. 

Both  B.  and  the  Professor  have  been  fas- 
cinated by  the  hieroglyphics  and  have  ad- 
vanced so  far  in  their  study  as  to  be  able  to 
recognize  the  cartouches  of  Ramses  and  the 
greater  kings  wherever  they  find  them.  This 
afternoon  B.  composed  the  cartouche  of  her 

231 


232     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

own  name,  naively  adding  below  it  the  hie- 
roglyphic for  princess,  after  the  manner 
of  an  ancient  Egyptian  maiden  of  high  de- 
gree. 


On  the  Nile, 
December  22nd. 

THIS  morning  at  nine  we  reached  Baliana 
and  took  donkeys  for  the  long  two  hours'  ride 
to  Abydos,  eight  and  a  half  miles  inland.  It 
was  one  of  our  most  interesting  excursions, 
for  it  led  through  a  fertile  district  cultivated 
all  the  way,  and  we  had  an  excellent  oppor- 
tunity to  see  the  life  of  the  modern  Egyptian 
farmer  at  close  range.  After  clearing  the 
town  of  Baliana  we  crossed  a  wide  canal  and 
passed  out  along  a  highway  crowded  with 
natives  on  foot,  camels  carrying  merchandise, 
boys  driving  small  herds  of  goats,  and  women 
and  children  riding  on  burros  or  in  carts.  It 
was  market-day  and  the  road  was  thronged 
with  people  coming  hither. 

Villages  surrounded  by  clusters  of  palms 
sprang  up  here  and  there  along  the  way,  with 
stretches  of  green  between  —  fields  of  alfalfa, 
cane  and  wheat.  It  is  a  rich  land,  a  land  of 
waving  wheat  and  ripening  corn,  of  herds  and 
flocks,  of  dates  and  palms.  There  were  no 
fences  or  visible  boundaries,  but  nevertheless 

233 


234     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

each  small  patch  must  be  well  defined,  for  it 
was  watched  over  by  a  man  or  boy.  In  one 
corner  of  the  field  a  small  tent  or  mud  hut, 
with  a  fence  of  cane  thatch  close  about  it, 
indicated  the  summer  home  of  the  tenant. 
Half  a  dozen  goats  or  a  single  cow  consti- 
tuted a  farmer's  herd.  The  animal  would  be 
tied  by  a  few  feet  of  rope,  allowing  it  to  pas- 
ture in  a  limited  circuit.  For  field  work  the 
fellah  utilizes  the  water  buffalo,  a  dull  gray 
animal,  almost  hairless,  the  size  of  an  ox,  with 
long  horns  laid  back  flat  along  its  neck. 

This  being  the  Egyptian  springtime,  every- 
where in  the  fields  are  to  be  seen  the  herds 
with  their  young.  A  baby  burro,  gray  and 
shaggy,  no  bigger  than  a  hobby-horse,  ran 
clumsily  up  to  a  big  curly  sheep  and  put  its 
head  lovingly  over  the  neck  of  the  woolly 
beast.  The  sheep  are  mostly  brown  or  black 
and  are  of  the  fat-tailed  variety.  These  ap- 
pendages, which  are  a  foot  wide  and  ruffled 
along  the  edges,  almost  touch  the  ground. 
Children  spend  their  days  in  the  open  field 
tending  the  flocks  and  playing  with  the  tiny 
kids  and  lambs.  As  we  rode  along  the  little 
shepherdesses  would  run  up  carrying  a  glossy 
kid  or  soft  lamb  for  us  to  pet,  and  then  de- 
mand bakshish  for  the  privilege. 

The  air  was  vocal  with  voices  of  birds.    A 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     235 

young  Englishman  in  the  party  pointed  out 
several  species.  The  wag-tail  and  the  small 
lark  are  the  most  numerous.  The  hoopah,  a 
big  brown  bird,  larger  than  our  robin,  has  a 
high  red  topknot  and  two  white  bars  across 
wings  and  tail.  The  hoopah  is  found  all  over 
Egypt  and  must  be  an  aborigine,  for  we  rec- 
ognized it  in  a  sculptured  relief  on  one  of  the 
most  ancient  temples  of  Abydos.  Here  and 
there  a  white  ibis  was  feeding  quietly  in  the 
alfalfa.  Men  were  cutting  the  ripe  cane  stalk 
by  stalk,  and  laying  them  down  one  by  one 
on  the  ground  —  a  slow  process.  Beyond  in 
the  barley  field  Ruth  was  following  after  the 
maidens  of  Boaz  gleaning  the  grain  that  es- 
caped their  sickles. 

All  the  way  we  had  ahead  of  us  the  great 
perpendicular  mountain  range  at  the  foot  of 
which  lie  the  ruins  of  Abydos,  the  most  sacred 
necropolis  of  ancient  Egypt.  As  is  Mecca 
to  the  devout  Moslem  of  modern  times,  so 
was  Abydos  to  the  pious  Egyptian  of  earlier 
ages.  Hither  he  came,  during  life,  on  a  pil- 
grimage to  worship  the  most  holy  Osiris,  and 
hither  he  was  brought  after  death  to  be  buried 
beside  the  adored  deity.  Through  the  gorge 
of  this  very  range  the  souls  of  the  deceased 
were  supposed  to  pass  on  their  way  to  the 
barge  of  the  sun. 


236     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

As  we  approached  our  destination  the 
green  fields  receded  behind  us,  while  the  wind 
rose  and  blew  the  shifting  sand  in  great 
clouds  about  us,  making  the  atmosphere  gray 
and  turning  the  sun  blood-red.  We  were 
already  within  the  Libyan  Desert.  Taking 
the  road  to  the  right  we  passed  under  the 
walls  of  the  small  town  and  presently  halted 
in  the  outer  court  of  the  ancient  Temple  of 
Seti  I. 

And  now  let  me  give  you  a  few  of  the  re- 
ligious traditions  concerning  Abydos.  Al- 
though the  various  members  of  his  body  were 
buried  in  as  many  different  places  throughout 
Egypt,  the  head  of  the  great  god  Osiris  was 
supposed  to  have  been  interred  here,  and  the 
temple  erected  over  it  was  considered  the 
chief  shrine  of  this  god  of  the  resurrection. 
This  temple  archaeologists  have  yet  to  find. 

Osiris,  like  the  earlier  Re,  had  the  power 
to  raise  with  himself  all  his  worshippers; 
those  buried  beside  him  were  sure  of  the  com- 
panionship of  the  god  in  passing  through  the 
gorge  of  this  western  mountain,  just  beyond 
which  lay  the  boat  of  the  sun.  Turn-face  or 
Look-behind  was  supposed  to  ferry  over  the 
righteous  who  had  no  boat  provided  in  their 
sepulchres.  Turn-face  was  the  Egyptian 
Charon,  the  prototype  of  the  Homeric  ferry- 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     237 

man  of  the  Styx,  who  ever  kept  a  backward 
glance  as  he  poled  his  barge  along.  This 
legend  is  one  of  the  first  evidences  in  history 
of  a  moral  test  being  expected  at  the  close  of 
life. 

Contrary  to  custom,  these  tombs  were  not 
excavated  in  the  soft  limestone  cliffs,  but  were 
built  in  the  sand  below.  The  Necropolis 
dates  from  the  Sixth  Dynasty;  its  era  of 
greatest  splendour  and  popularity  covers  the 
period  of  the  Eleventh  and  Twelfth  Dynas- 
ties, B.  c.  2160-1790. 

About  the  beginning  of  Seti's  reign  the 
burial  ground  of  the  very  ancient  kings,  which 
had  long  been  lost,  was  discovered,  and  the 
name  of  King  Khent  was  wrongly  read  as 
that  of  their  great  god  Khent-amenti  Osiris 
whom  the  Egyptians  also  regarded  as  an 
early  king.  In  honour  of  the  event  Seti  not 
only  placed  in  this  tomb  a  stone  bier  bearing 
an  effigy  of  Osiris,  but  he  also  built  here  at 
Abydos  this  great  temple  to  the  spirits  of  his 
ancestors  and  to  the  seven  chief  gods  of 
Egypt,  Amon,  Osiris,  Isis  and  Horus,  He- 
rakhte,  Ptah  and  King  Seti  himself. 

Isis,  the  sister,  wife  and  female  form  of 
Osiris,  was  worshipped  as  the  feminine  coun- 
terpart of  this  supreme  god,  and  as  mother 
of  the  divine  child  Horus.  She  shared  equal 


238     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

honours  with  Osiris  in  their  great  temples 
here  in  Abydos  and  at  Philse,  while  both  at 
Der  el-Bahari  and  Denderah  she  was  revered 
under  the  name  of  Hathor,  mother  of  Horus, 
—  being  there  associated  with  Athor,  the  Aph- 
rodite of  the  Greeks,  goddess  of  mirth  and 
beauty.  In  fact  Isis  was  honoured  in  so 
many  aspects  as  to  be  called  goddess  of  ten 
thousand  names. 

The  advanced  attitude  of  ancient  Egyp- 
tian religion  toward  women  is  evidenced  by 
the  similar  reverence  shown  Isis  and  Osiris; 
nor  was  Minerva  less  esteemed  than  Mars 
by  the  early  Greeks.  Subsequent  history 
adopting  the  creed  that  "  might  makes  right," 
denied  woman  equal  honours  with  man;  even 
the  Early  Church  bade  her  be  silent  in  the 
assembly  and  submissive  in  the  home.  To- 
day, however,  Christian  Science  restores  her 
to  her  exalted  position,  places  the  woman 
beside  the  man  on  its  platform  —  two  equal 
reflections  of  the  Divine  Mind,  equally  ex- 
pressive of  Truth  and  Love. 

This  Abydos  Temple  was  erected  about 
B.  c.  1350.  Two  large  courts  lead  to  two  fine 
halls,  from  which  open  seven  chapels  dedi- 
cated to  the  seven  great  gods.  Here  were 
kept  the  barges  sacred  to  these  deities.  The 
chambers  are  vaulted  in  the  Hindu  manner, 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     239 

by  the  use  of  over-lapping  slabs,  the  edges 
chiseled  off  to  give  the  effect  of  an  arch. 
The  walls  of  the  chapels  are  beautifully 
sculptured  and  painted  in  bright  colours. 
One  curious  relief  represents  two  serpents 
waiting  to  drink  the  blood  of  criminals  which 
had  been  collected  in  a  large  skin. 

In  a  corridor  to  the  left  is  the  famous  Aby- 
dos  Tablet  of  Egyptian  kings,  including  the 
names  of  those  recovered  during  Seti's  reign. 
It  consists  of  a  series  of  vertical  hieroglyphics 
exquisitely  fine  and  evenly  cut  in  polished 
alabaster;  the  names  of  seventy-six  Pharaohs 
are  given;  those  from  the  first  King  Menes 
to  Seti  I;  unimportant  and  illegitimate  mon- 
archs  being  omitted. 

Hafiz  and  Ahmed  spread  the  luncheon  on 
tables  between  the  fat  columns  of  the  im- 
mense hypostyle  hall,  and  here  we  rested  and 
feasted  to  the  loud  humming  of  big  bumble 
bees,  as  they  flew  in  and  out  from  sunshine 
to  shadow,  while  the  birds  chattered  noisily, 
peering  down  at  us  from  capital  and  archi- 
trave. In  the  open  court  without  stood  a  boy 
and  his  burro  refreshing  themselves  with 
sugar-cane,  the  boy  sharing  it  with  his  pet, 
impartially,  bite  for  bite. 

After  resting  in  the  cool  of  the  stone  cor- 
ridors, we  again  mounted  and  rode  still  fur- 


240     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

ther  into  the  desert  to  inspect  ruins  of  tombs 
and  temples,  all  in  a  state  of  great  decay. 
Beyond  is  a  quaint  little  Coptic  monastery 
where  a  group  of  small  boys  from  six  to  eight 
years  of  age  recited  for  us  in  English  the 
Twenty -third  Psalm.  The  eagerness  of  these 
poor  people  to  learn  English  is  pathetic.  The 
chapel  and  dwellings  surrounding  were  mis- 
erably poverty-stricken. 

Since  1896  M.  de  Morgan,  M.  Amelineau 
and  Professor  Petrie  have  been  excavating  in 
the  region  of  Abydos.  They  have  found 
some  pre-historic  tombs  of  kings  of  the  First 
and  Second  Dynasties  and  others  thought  to 
be  pre-dynastic. 

In  twos  and  threes  we  came  straggling 
back  to  the  ship  in  the  late  afternoon,  weary 
with  the  long  seventeen  mile  ride  —  our  last 
in  the  land  of  the  Nile. 


"  S.  S.  Rameses" 
Friday,  December  23rd. 

THIS  noon  we  again  touched  at  Assiut, 
passing  close  to  the  beautiful  grove  of  aca- 
cias, tamarisks  and  lebbeks.  Every  tree  of 
any  size  is  worthy  of  remark  in  this  sun- 
kissed  land  where  rain  is  almost  unknown 
and  everything  must  make  way  for  food- 
producing  plants;  almost  every  inch  of  soil 
is  sown  to  corn  or  cane,  barley,  wheat  or  al- 
falfa. 

Assiut  is  two  hundred  and  forty  miles 
above  Cairo  and  its  reservoir  feeds  the  canals 
of  Middle  Egypt.  This  great  dam  is  over 
nine  hundred  yards  wide,  extending  clear 
across  the  river;  it  consists  of  a  number  of 
narrow  bays  supported  on  close  set  columns. 
A  double  row  of  iron  gates,  one  above  the 
other,  can  be  let  down  to  conserve  the  water 
when  the  river  is  low  or  when  the  upper  val- 
ley is  to  be  inundated. 

Soon  after  tiffin  we  arrived  at  the  open  gate 
of  the  Barrage.  We  headed  for  the  lock,  an 
opening  barely  fifty  feet  wide,  and  close  to  the 

241 


242     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

western  bank,  but  missed  it,  the  swift  current 
carrying  us  too  far  one  side.  We  had  to  back 
out,  swing  round  and  make  for  it  a  second 
time.  The  boat  went  from  side  to  side,  and 
every  man  of  the  crew  was  kept  busy,  jump- 
ing first  to  the  right  then  to  the  left,  and 
pushing  against  the  granite  walls  of  the  lock, 
to  keep  the  boat  from  scraping.  It  was  slow 
work,  and  all  the  while  the  Professor  kept 
exclaiming,  "  My,  my!  did  you  ever  see  the 
like?  We  would  never  make  such  a  mess  of 
it  as  this  in  America!"  I  hoped  we  should 
not,  but  I  could  not  say,  for  I  am  not  familiar 
with  the  locks  of  my  native  land. 

We  are  now  within  two  days'  steaming  of 
Cairo,  and  our  three  weeks'  voyage  on  the 
Nile  —  one  of  the  most  delightful  excursions 
a  tourist  could  possibly  take  —  is  fast  draw- 
ing to  a  close.  Although  the  sun  is  hot,  there 
is  always  a  breeze  on  the  water  caused  by  the 
motion  of  the  vessel;  indeed  at  times  it  is 
decidedly  chilly.  As  there  are  no  fires  in 
cabin  or  salon,  one  needs  extra  clothing  for 
cool  days  and  nights. 

Our  ship's  passengers  include  a  number  of 
agreeable  and  interesting  people.  Lord  and 
Lady  Caldwell,  a  young  Irish  couple,  know 
how  to  "  do  themselves  well,"  as  the  English 
express  it.  With  maid  and  valet  in  attend- 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     243 

ance  they  are  the  perfection  of  neatness,  al- 
ways appropriately  attired  for  excursions  — 
she  in  short  gray  skirt,  helmet,  and  walking 
stick;  he  in  dark  gray  riding  suit,  the  saffron 
vest  of  his  particular  hunting  club,  leather 
leggings,  and  gray  topi  draped  with  striped 
scarf  —  the  long  ends  protecting  the  back  of 
the  head  from  the  vertical  rays  of  the  sun. 

The  first  night  B.  appeared  in  her  gown  of 
emerald  silk  overlaid  with  black  lace,  its  col- 
our appealed  to  his  Irish  taste,  and  Lord 
Caldwell  complimented  her  on  it  warmly, 
only  regretting  that  her  Ladyship  was  too 
dark  for  the  wearing  of  the  green! 

The  English  M.  P.  and  the  Boston  editor 
of  a  denominational  paper,  both  broad-shoul- 
dered "  six-footers "  of  mature  years,  have 
endless  discussions  on  things  British  and 
American.  The  Englishman  with  his  young 
wife  took  leave  of  us  unexpectedly  at  Luxor, 
his  party  whip  having  summoned  him  back  to 
London  by  cable  to  help  vote  on  some  impor- 
tant measure  that  had  been  pending  in  Par- 
liament, and  on  which  there  was  shortly  to 
be  a  division. 

Another  Englishman  introduced  a  novel 
"  give  away  "  game  of  checkers ;  one  player 
has  the  full  quota  of  pieces,  while  his  oppo- 
nent has  simply  a  king;  the  game  goes  to 


244     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

the  one  who  gets  rid  of  his  checkers  first. 
Strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  man  with  the 
king  is  seldom  the  winner. 

The  pale-faced  dapper  little  ship's  Sur- 
geon, in  correct  corduroy  and  leather  leg- 
gings, has  been  most  courteous  to  all,  playing 
the  host  well  in  lieu  of  a  Captain,  of  which 
officer  the  force  is  innocent.  The  Doctor  as- 
sists the  ladies  to  mount  and  is  always  on 
hand  when  the  donkeys  stumble,  or  their 
riders  fall.  Every  pretty  girl  receives  some 
attention,  and  the  younger  the  girl,  the  more 
fascinating  he  finds  her.  A  saucy  Irish  las- 
sie with  laughing  blue  eyes  and  retrousse 
nose,  her  face  framed  in  a  bewitching  poke 
bonnet  of  red,  led  him  a  dance.  He  was  her 
slave  the  two  days  of  her  voyage  from  Luxor 
to  Assuan.  Next  morning,  however,  found 
him  devoting  himself  to  another  maiden,  to 
whom  he  criticised  Peggy  most  unmercifully. 


On  the  Nile, 

Saturday,  December  24th. 
THIS  morning  we  went  ashore  at  a  deserted 
spot  to  view  an  ancient  pavement  of  the 
ruined  city  of  Tell  el-Amarna.  As  we  came 
to  mooring  we  saw  a  row  of  natives  squatting 
like  roosting  chickens  on  the  bank  above  the 
boat.  When  we  reached  the  top  of  the  foot- 
path the  spectators  rose  as  one  man,  and  sur- 
rounded our  party.  Four  brawny  Arabs, 
armed  with  long  rifles,  now  stepped  in  front 
of  us  and  led  the  way,  keeping  off  the  rabble 
of  men,  women  and  children.  We  crossed  a 
field  of  growing  wheat  to  a  low  stone  house 
which  had  been  erected  over  the  relics  of 
pavement  to  keep  it  from  being  carried  away 
by  the  thieving  population.  These  guards 
are  necessary  to  safe-guard  both  floor  and 
visiting  tourist.  The  pavement  consists  of 
four  or  five  sections  of  painted  stucco,  which 
had  been  laid  about  B.  c.  1350  by  Amenho- 
tep  IV,  (Ikhnaton),  the  Heretic  king  before 
mentioned,  who  introduced  the  worship  of  the 
Rays  of  the  Sun. 

245 


246     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

As  its  chief  exponent,  this  Pharaoh  re- 
christened  himself,  "  Splendour  of  the  Solar 
Disc."  In  the  Cairo  Museum  are  several 
bas-reliefs  in  stone  of  Ikhnaton,  who  is  por- 
trayed standing  in  adoration  with  arms  out- 
stretched, bathed  in  the  effulgence  of  the 
sun's  rays.  Deserting  Thebes  and  the  fa- 
mous shrines  of  Luxor  and  Karnak,  Ikhnaton 
built  with  great  splendour  here  at  Tell  el- 
Amarna  his  new  capital,  to  which  he  gave 
the  glorious  name  "  Horizon  of  the  Sun." 
The  city  and  its  new  faith  flourished  but  fifty 
years,  the  cult  of  Amon  regaining  ascendency 
almost  immediately  after  the  reformer's  death. 
To-day  this  royal  city  has  utterly  vanished, 
and  naught  but  these  fragments  of  pavement 
remain. 

The  several  sections  of  pavement  are  painted 
in  various  designs.  One  with  figures  of  cap- 
tive warriors  carrying  bows  is  thought  to 
typify  "  The  Nine  Nations  of  Archers,"  tra- 
ditional enemies  of  Egypt.  Another  slab  in 
soft  blue  and  green  is  decorated  with  fish  and 
ducks  swimming  among  the  rushes  and  wild 
grasses  of  a  marsh.  It  seems  a  miracle  that 
such  delicate  painting  on  a  substance  so  frag- 
ile and  in  a  place  so  exposed  should  have 
thus  long  escaped  destruction,  while  so  few 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     247 

of  the  marble  mosaic  floors  of  Rome  and 
Pompeii  subsist  to-day. 

Returning,  the  same  numerous  escort  at- 
tended us  to  the  boat.  Frequent  notices 
posted  in  public  places  request  the  tourist  to 
refrain  from  pauperizing  the  populace  by 
indiscriminate  giving  of  alms  to  the  army  of 
beggars.  As  we  pushed  off  from  land,  how- 
ever, the  Professor  could  not  resist  the  temp- 
tation of  flinging  ashore  a  handful  of  small 
coin  —  just  for  the  fun  of  seeing  the  natives 
scramble  for  it.  Like  children  these  big  blue- 
gowned  figures,  swarthy  and  vociferous, 
rushed  forward  and  fell  in  a  heap,  strug- 
gling and  fighting  to  secure  the  coveted  cop- 
pers. 

Claudius  Hafiz  and  Ahmed,  our  drago- 
mans, have  been  asking  all  the  ship  to  write 
in  their  reference  books.  They  come  and 
crouch  on  the  floor  at  one's  feet  in  a  defer- 
ential attitude,  quite  irresistible.  Several  days 
ago  they  began  to  besiege  the  Professor  in 
particular,  begging  him  for  verses.  He  good- 
naturedly  scribbled  off  a  few  stanzas,  but 
when  he  read  them  to  Hafiz,  they  did  not  suit 
at  all.  "  No,"  said  Hafiz,  "  you  must  put 
Claudius  at  the  end  of  each  line.  Write  it 
something  like  so: 


248     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

"  Who's  always  most  agreeable  and  pleasant  ? 
Claudius  I " 

The  Professor  ha-ha-ed  and  pooh-pooh-ed, 
but  ended  by  asking  Hafiz  for  an  inventory 
of  his  talents.  Nothing  loath,  and  missing 
the  sarcasm,  Claudius  proceeded  to  acquaint 
the  poet  with  his  accomplishments  —  his  schol- 
arly attainments,  being  able  to  read  the  hier- 
oglyphics; his  poetic  genius,  being  a  writer 
and  reciter  of  verse  —  mostly  doggerel,  to  be 
sure  —  and  his  amiability  and  wit. 

Hafiz  really  is  an  unusual  character.  He 
is  forty-four  years  old  and  has  been  drago- 
man eighteen  years;  possesses  a  powerful 
physique,  and  whenever  we  land,  he  goes  out 
with  his  long  whip  to  do  battle  with  the 
donkey  boys.  Hafiz  selects  our  animals  for 
us,  helps  us  mount,  and  each  time  we  stop 
carefully  counts  the  party,  to  see  that  none 
are  missing;  he  explains  the  temples,  reads 
any  simple  hieroglyphics  we  request,  speaks 
well  enough  to  be  understood  —  a  rare  ac- 
complishment in  a  guide  —  is  ready  with 
English  jokes  and  apt  phrases,  and  can  even 
on  occasion  quote  poetry. 

When  Mr.  Cornelius  Vanderbilt  went  up 
the  Nile,  with  his  private  party,  Hafiz  acted 
as  dragoman  and  helped  carry  his  patron's 
chair.  The  capitalist  thought  Claudius  so 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     249 

intelligent  that  he  gave  the  dragoman  a 
check  for  five  thousand  dollars  in  apprecia- 
tion of  his  five  weeks'  service.  Hafiz  is  a 
widower  and  has  a  son  twelve  years  of  age. 
When  we  went  to  visit  Miss  Buchanan's 
School  at  Luxor,  Hafiz,  who  is  anxious  to 
marry  again,  begged  the  Professor  to  inter- 
cede in  his  behalf:  "  Speak  a  good  word  to 
the  lady  for  me,  so  she'll  pick  me  out  a  good 
wife." 

Indeed  Claudius  Hafiz  has  had  so  much 
praise  from  tourists  that  he  is  decidedly 
spoiled.  One  Sunday  after  the  Professor  had 
conducted  service  on  the  ship  Hafiz  naively 
asked,  "  Did  you  say  anything  nice  about 
Hafiz  in  your  sermon? " 

The  Professor  yesterday  ground  out  a  sec- 
ond string  of  verses  which  seemed  more  to 
Hafiz's  taste.  Ahmed,  the  younger  drago- 
man, whom  we  all  like  better,  is  much  more 
modest  and  gives  promise  of  becoming  an 
equally  apt  scholar.  When  he  read  the  Pro- 
fessor's verses  which  Hafiz  proudly  exhibited, 
Ahmed  seemed  to  appreciate  the  hyperbole, 
for  he  laughingly  exclaimed,  "  Oh,  that's  too 
much  praise! "  This  Claudius  indignantly 
denied,  insisting,  "  No,  I  deserve  it  all! " 

The  following  is  a  sample  of  the  baker's 
dozen  of  similar  stanzas: 


250     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

"  Who  then  in  influence  and  looks 

And  in  the  learning  of  the  books, 
Will  second  only  be  to  "  Cooks  "  ? 
But  Claudius!" 

Claudius  said  he  would  commit  the  lines  to 
memory  and  recite  them  to  us.  Ahmed 
laughed  at  him,  and  said  the  English  was 
"  too  high  "  for  him,  and  that  he  would  never 
be  able  to  master  it.  But  Claudius  sat  up 
most  of  the  night  studying  the  stanzas.  This 
evening  at  dinner  he  made  his  farewell  speech, 
wishing  us  "  Bon  voyage,"  and  expressing 
the  hope  that  we  would  come  again  to  the 
Nile,  and  that  he  might  have  the  pleasure  of 
once  more  escorting  us  over  the  ruins.  He 
closed  by  reciting  the  verses  above  mentioned, 
modestly  omitting  the  last  line  of  each. 


"  S.  S.  Eameses" 
Sunday,  Christmas,  1904. 

WE'RE  trying  hard  to  play  that  it's  Christ- 
mas, but  it  seems  little  like  a  real  one.  We 
reach  Cairo  at  four  where  we  look  forward 
to  a  jolly  Christmas  dinner,  which  will  be 
memorable  as  our  first  meeting  with  the  other 
half  of  our  Round-the-World-Party. 

At  this  juncture  the  question  of  fees  occu- 
pies the  moment  most  fully.  Every  man  on 
board,  from  the  quartermaster  down  to  the 
humblest  deck  hand,  has  been  bowing  and 
scraping  to  every  passenger  on  ship  —  all  in 
expectation  of  a  fee.  One  of  the  bare-foot 
crew  is  this  moment  standing  outside  the 
salon  door,  pretending  to  brush  away  cinders 
with  his  feather  duster,  but  every  time  he 
catches  my  eye,  he  smiles,  and  bows,  and  says 
"  Merry  Christmas! "  and  finally,  as  I  do  not 
take  the  hint,  he  has  put  out  his  hand  and 
asked  for  bakshish. 

The  two  dragomans,  two  cabin  boys,  three 
table  boys,  and  chief  dining-room  steward  we 
have  already  remembered  quite  substantially, 

251     ' 


252     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

but  there  is  all  the  crew  besides,  who  have 
done  sundry  little  offices  for  us,  such  as  dust- 
ing our  shoes  and  brushing  us  off  on  our  re- 
turn from  land  excursions  —  all  paid  for  at 
the  time  to  be  sure,  but  that  is  a  thing  of  the 
past,  and  a  parting  gift  is  likewise  expected. 

I  was  asking  the  chief  steward  this  morn- 
ing how  many  deck  hands  there  were.  "  Oh, 
eighteen  or  twenty,"  he  answered,  adding 
suggestively,  "  If  you  want  to  give  them  any- 
thing, just  hand  it  to  the  quartermaster." 

It  seemed  a  large  order,  but  for  some  time 
B.  and  I  had  been  saving  all  the  little  silver 
piastre  pieces  that  came  our  way;  we  now 
found  that  we  had  a  large  double  handful. 
Going  up  to  the  Quartermaster,  who  was 
talking  to  several  of  the  crew,  we  poured  the 
coin  in  his  hand,  explaining  that  it  was 
for  himself  and  crew.  He  smiled  and  bowed 
so  happily,  that  it  quite  repaid  us  for  the 
trouble.  Counting  up  later,  B.  and  I  found 
that,  between  us,  we  had  given  away  over  six 
pounds  in  fees,  which  seemed  a  great  plenty 
in  this  land  of  small  wages. 

We  have  just  passed  a  large  leisurely  daha- 
biyeh,  few  of  which  we  have  encountered 
hitherto.  The  dahabiyeh  is  not  unlike  the 
house-boat  of  the  Thames,  with  the  addition 
of  a  sail.  The  passengers  pre-empt  one  end 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     253 

of  the  craft,  while  the  crew  crowd  the  other. 
They  sail  slowly,  but  I  would  not  willingly 
exchange  the  ample  decks,  comfortable  cab- 
ins and  speed  of  our  little  steamer,  for  the 
more  exclusive  leisure  of  such  a  vessel.  More- 
over, the  genius  of  the  dahabiyeh  has  a  most 
evil  reputation  for  making  its  occupants  life- 
long enemies.  Only  the  most  amiable  should 
venture  to  keep  house  in  such  narrow  quar- 
ters, two  months  at  a  stretch.  Just  before 
leaving  Cairo  we  noticed,  in  the  Egyptian 
edition  of  the  New  York  Herald,  this  unique 
advertisement:  "Wanted  by  two  Americans, 
companions  for  a  dahabiyeh  party.  Refer- 
ences exchanged." 

This  last  day  on  the  "  Rameses "  I  have 
been  going  back  in  mind  over  our  trip,  to 
sum  up  what  we  have  seen  and  learned  of 
the  architecture  and  history  of  ancient  Egypt. 
We  have  now  made  the  circuit  of  the  most 
wonderful  temples  and  tombs  of  the  Pha- 
raohs, with  the  exception  of  that  of  Abu  Sim- 
bel,  which  is  on  the  upper  reaches  of  the  Nile 
above  the  First  Cataract. 

Oldest  of  all  are  the  tombs,  the  mastabas, 
and  the  pyramids.  Go  first  to  Sakkarah  and 
visit  the  Step  Pyramid  of  King  Zoser  of  the 
Third  Dynasty,  who  walked  the  earth  nearly 
five  thousand  years  ago;  Khufu  and  Khafre 


254     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

built  their  great  Pyramids  at  Gizeh  a  century 
later.  Although  Mentuhotep  II  of  the  Elev- 
enth Dynasty  introduced  a  new  style  of  sep- 
ulchre, a  cliff  cave  with  terraced  chapel  be- 
fore it,  the  pyramid  continued  popular  and 
was  royalty's  favourite  type  of  tomb  until 
2000  B.  c. 

Later  cliff  chambers,  secreted  in  the  depths 
of  the  mountains  west  of  their  capital,  were 
chosen  by  the  Theban  kings  for  sepulchres. 
During  the  Eighteenth  and  Nineteenth  Dy- 
nasties, from  1600-1200  B.  c.  these  subterra- 
nean tombs  reached  their  climax  of  elaborate- 
ness and  splendour.  That  the  ancients  hon- 
oured the  mummies  of  their  Apis  gods  no 
less,  is  proved  by  the  finding  in  the  Serapeum 
at  Memphis  of  sarcophagi  bearing  the  car- 
touche of  Amenhotep  III  B.  c.  1400. 

Before  each  tomb  was  always  its  shrine,  of 
which  the  splendid  mausoleum  chapel  of  Hat- 
shepsut  is  the  most  striking  example.  Other 
Theban  monarchs,  however,  desiring  more 
extensive  mortuary  temples  than  the  hills 
permitted,  built  on  the  plains  below;  the 
Ramesseum  was  such  a  memorial,  and  served 
for  public  worship  as  well. 

Unfortunately  the  buildings  of  the  Early 
Empire  have  almost  all  disappeared,  so  that 
even  their  location  is  unknown,  but  it  has  been 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     255 

proved  that  certain  sites  were  marked  by 
shrines  from  time  immemorial  —  especially 
Heliopolis,  Memphis,  Abydos,  and  Thebes; 
and  it  is  argued  that  a  race  who  could  con- 
struct such  monuments  as  the  Mastabas  and 
Pyramids  would  erect  temples  scarcely  less 
imposing.  Repeated  restorations  and  recon- 
structions ended,  however,  in  obliterating 
nearly  all  trace  of  the  original  buildings. 
Wood  is  thought  to  have  been  the  first  mate- 
rial used;  later  brick,  and  last  of  all  stone. 
The  introduction  of  stone  was  probably  con- 
temporary with  the  erection  of  the  early  Mas- 
tabas. 

So  far,  the  oldest  and  best  preserved  build- 
ing of  the  Ancient  Empire,  which  lasted  from 
3400-2000  B.  c.  according  to  the  Tablet  of 
Abydos,  is  the  Granite  Gateway  leading  to 
the  Pyramid  Causeway  at  Gizeh.  The  struc- 
tures of  this  age  are  characterized  by  massive 
simplicity,  by  the  phenomenal  size  of  their 
granite  blocks  and  by  an  absence  of  all  dec- 
oration and  inscription.  They  express  stabil- 
ity and  power. 

Of  the  Middle  Empire,  the  period  from  the 
Twelfth  to  the  Seventeenth  Dynasties,  not  a 
temple  remains.  A  number  of  stelae,  some 
scattered  ruins  bearing  reliefs  and  inscrip- 
tions—  mostly  of  Pharaohs  of  the  Twelfth 


256     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

Dynasty  —  the  lofty  obelisk  of  Usertesen  I, 
still  standing  at  Heliopolis,  and  a  few  colos- 
sal statues,  bearing  the  name  of  this  ruler, 
are  the  chief  relics  of  the  four  hundred  years 
prior  to  1600  B.  c.  The  size  and  character  of 
these  fragments,  however,  taken  in  connec- 
tion with  the  elaborate  and  beautifully  dec- 
orated rock-hewn  tombs  of  the  monarchs  of 
this  time,  are  sufficient  assurance  that  the 
temples  of  the  Middle  Empire  were  but  little 
inferior  in  magnitude  and  importance  to  those 
of  the  earlier  epoch. 

It  remained  for  the  Pharaohs  of  the  New 
Empire,  the  giants  of  the  Eighteenth  and 
Nineteenth  Dynasties,  Thutmose  III,  Amen- 
hotep  III,  Seti  I,  and  the  Ramses  II  and 
III,  to  construct  the  Cyclopian  temples,  py- 
lons, obelisks,  and  statues  which  are  to-day 
Egypt's  chief  crown  of  glory  bequeathed 
from  antiquity.  Karnak  and  Luxor,  Medinet 
Habu,  Kurna  and  the  Ramesseum,  the 
shrines  of  Abydos,  the  rock  temple  at  Abu 
Simbel,  the  Theban  Colossi  of  Memnon,  and 
the  recumbent  Ramses  at  Sakkarah  —  all  are 
the  work  of  that  age. 

And  if  you  would  know  how  well  the  Gre- 
cian Ptolemies  and  their  Roman  successors 
learned  from  the  Pharaohs  the  lesson  of 
Egyptian  architecture,  see  Esneh  and  Edfu, 


Kom  Ombo,  Denderah.  and  Philae,  smaller 
editions  of  the  older  shrines  and  excellently 
preserved;  their  capitals  more  ornate,  per- 
haps, and  their  walls  more  elaborately  dec- 
orated with  figures  of  gods  and  goddesses. 

Although  hers  are  the  oldest,  Egypt  boasts 
more  temples  and  better  preserved  than  either 
Greece  or  ancient  Rome.  The  untrained  eye 
rejoices  in  the  completeness  of  those  of  Edfu 
and  Denderah. 

As  I  review  the  scenes  just  visited,  each 
stands  out  in  memory,  separate  and  apart,  for 
some  peculiar  beauty  or  individual  charm. 
For  sepulchral  art  one  should  see  Sakkarah, 
and  penetrate  the  subterranean  tomb  of  Thi, 
Superintendent  of  Pyramids  to  a  Pharaoh 
of  the  Fifth  Dynasty;  most  brilliantly 
painted  and  delicately  sculptured,  it  is  ac- 
counted the  finest  funeral  vault  in  Egypt. 
Or  one  may  visit  at  Biban  el-Muluk,  the  Val- 
ley of  the  Tombs  of  the  Kings,  the  still  more 
impressive  mortuary  chamber  of  Amenho- 
tep  III — his  royal  mummy  deposited  there 
more  than  three  thousand  years  ago,  being 
the  only  one  allowed  to  rest  in  its  original 
tomb. 

For  picturesqueness  and  general  effect  the 
beautiful  shrine  of  Kom  Ombo,  in  soft  gray- 
ish pink  granite,  standing  high  above  the  Nile 


on  a  bluff  overlooking  the  river,  or  the  ex- 
quisite group  of  Philse,  rising  from  an  island 
near  the  First  Cataract,  with  slender  columns 
and  graceful  capitals,  painted  rich  yellow 
against  the  deep  blue  sky  of  the  southern 
clime,  are  unsurpassed. 

But  for  grandeur  and  sublimity  the  massive 
pylons,  tapering  obelisks,  and  mammoth  col- 
umns of  Karnak's  splendid  hypostyle,  the 
seated  giants  of  Luxor,  Abu  Simbel,  and  the 
Colossi  of  Memnon,  are  beyond  compare! 
More  stupendous  and  primeval  still,  however, 
are  the  Pyramids,  the  Granite  Causeway 
Gate,  and  the  Sphinx,  pre-historic  and  unique 
in  the  chronicles  of  the  race. 

And  over  all  Egypt  spreads  the  magic  of 
her  skies,  most  potent  at  the  end  of  day,  when 
the  brilliant  sunlight  softens  to  a  deep  pink, 
enveloping  valley  and  mountain,  statue  and 
temple,  in  a  roseate  haze,  and  is  reflected  on 
the  broad  surface  of  the  calm  river,  while  one 
waits  for  the  golden  chariot  of  the  glittering 
sun-god  to  sink  slowly  into  the  western  hori- 
zon beyond  the  waste  of  desert  sand.  A  rich 
amber  glow  succeeds,  warming  gradually  to 
crimson,  as  the  colour  narrows  to  a  thin  band, 
outlining  the  tops  of  the  darkening  moun- 
tains. 

Toward  nightfall  we  pass  many  a  patri- 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     259 

archal  scene.  The  muffled  figures  of  a  native 
herdsman,  his  harem,  and  their  numerous  chil- 
dren, gathered  in  the  gloaming  under  the 
sheltered  side  of  an  open  cane-thatched  lean-to, 
crouch  around  the  gleaming  camp-fire  on 
which  the  evening  meal  is  preparing  —  its 
smoke,  in  the  quiet  air  of  the  Egyptian  twi- 
light, ascending  undisturbed  by  flickering 
breezes  straight  toward  heaven. 

It  is  far  lovelier  than  I  can  describe,  and 
as  no  two  sunsets  are  ever  the  same,  we  try 
always  to  be  on  deck  at  that  hour. 

Slowly  we  passed  the  little  boats,  their  la- 
teen sails  spread  like  birds  poised  on  the 
bosom  of  the  water.  Below  us  on  the  prow 
at  twilight  the  Moslem  rises,  and  salutes  the 
evening  sky  toward  Mecca;  kneels  and 
presses  his  forehead  to  the  deck.  From  shore 
comes  a  constant  creak,  creak  —  heard  far 
into  the  night  —  the  tireless  Egyptian  still 
working  his  weary  water-wheel,  still  dipping 
the  bucket  of  his  well-sweep  in  his  unceasing 
struggle  for  daily  bread.  Adam's  curse  lies 
heavy  upon  him. 

Day  after  day,  and  night  after  night,  for 
three  weeks  we  have  been  privileged  specta- 
tors of  these  homely  scenes  and  time-hon- 
oured customs  perpetuated  through  centuries. 
Their  familiarity  makes  them  only  the  more 


260     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

fascinating.  Although  it  is  but  three,  tea  is 
being  served  on  deck  —  a  last  courtesy  from 
the  ship.  Already  the  domes  and  minarets 
of  the  Citadel  are  in  sight,  while  the  grim 
Pyramids  have  been  hovering  in  the  western 
distance  for  some  hours  past.  The  river  is 
crowded  with  blue-bordered  sails  all  bound 
for  Cairo.  As  we  bear  down  upon  fleet  after 
fleet,  they  part  and  let  us  pass.  The  palaces 
and  gardens  of  the  eastern  bank  now  fly  by, 
and  at  last  we  come  to  anchor,  just  this  side 
the  great  Nile  bridge. 


THE  END. 


APPENDIX   I 

THE  Guide  to  the  Cairo  Museum,  compiled 
by  M.  G.  Maspero  and  translated  by  J.  E. 
and  A.  A.  Quibell  is  full  of  illuminating  pas- 
sages —  many  of  them  gleaned  from  recently 
discovered  reliefs  —  bearing  upon  the  religion 
of  the  ancient  Egyptians.  I  have  culled  a 
few  sentences  dealing  with  the  more  impor- 
tant beliefs,  and  arranged  them  together,  so 
that  the  plan  of  the  tombs  and  their  curious 
frescoes  can  be  better  understood  and  appre- 
ciated. 

The  ancient  Egyptians  considered  man  to 
be  composed  of  a  body  and  a  soul,  equally 
perishable  if  not  nourished,  or  if  either  were 
destroyed.  The  soul  they  imagined  in  the 
form  of  a  crane  or  a  hawk,  sometimes  human- 
headed,  a  luminous  spectre,  or  a  double,  com- 
ing into  existence  at  a  man's  birth  and  sur- 
viving his  death,  and  with  a  form  exactly 
reproducing  that  of  the  man,  woman,  or  child 
to  whom  it  pertained.  This  double  was  called 

261 


262     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

a  Ka.  Each  Ka  had  its  own  name,  as  is 
known  from  the  finding  on  the  seals  in  the 
tombs  of  the  Pharaohs  of  their  Ka  names. 

To  insure  to  the  Ka  continuance  of  exist- 
ence, the  body  must  be  preserved  in  its  per- 
fect shape.  Dessication,  and  later  mummifi- 
cation, were  accordingly  resorted  to.  The 
poor  were  simply  "  salted  and  dried,"  and 
wrapped  in  a  mat  of  woven  reeds;  but  the 
rich  went  through  long  processes  of  boiling 
with  resinous  gums  and  aromatic  roots,  and 
were  then  enveloped  in  hundreds  of  yards  of 
fine  linen,  with  fragrant  herbs  laid  between 
the  folds;  thus  "highly  spiced"  they  were 
laid  away  in  their  painted  coffins.  In  order 
to  conceal  the  shrinkage  caused  by  these 
processes,  and  to  make  the  mummy  more 
presentable,  as  well  as  comfortable,  for  the 
Ka  to  inhabit,  a  mask  of  cartonage,  or  painted 
linen,  was  made  for  the  entire  body;  in  the 
case  of  royalty  the  mask  was  usually  of  gold. 

The  mummy  was  laid  on  its  side,  facing 
the  east,  in  a  wooden  coffin,  which  was  then 
enclosed  in  a  massive  sarcophagus  of  granite 
or  other  hard  stone,  often  hewn  from  one 
solid  block.  The  lid  was  next  cemented  on 
to  make  it  air-tight.  A  Pharaoh  could  not 
better  recompense  the  services  of  a  loyal  sub- 
ject than  by  the  gift  of  such  a  sarcophagus. 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     263 

It,  as  well  as  the  tomb-chamber  in  which  it 
was  placed,  was  called  the  "  House  of  Eter- 
nity," and  a  chapel  erected  before  it.  On  the 
west  wall  of  this  chapel  was  then  set  up  the 
stela  or  doorway,  the  entrance  to  the  realm 
of  the  dead,  which  served  as  a  Kiblah,  indi- 
cating the  direction  where  the  mummy  would 
be  found. 

At  first  part  of  the  wall,  later  separate 
from  it,  the  stela  bore  on  its  lintels  the  names 
and  titles,  and  on  its  architrave  the  figure  of 
the  deceased,  seated  at  his  table  of  offerings. 
The  treatment  of  the  stela  kept  pace  with  the 
evolution  of  the  religious  ideas  of  the  Egyp- 
tians concerning  immortality.  Originally  it 
was  probably  a  real  door  admitting  the  rela- 
tives to  the  mortuary  chamber,  but  frequent 
rifling  of  the  tombs  by  robbers  led  to  the 
substitution  of  a  false  portal  —  the  real  en- 
trance being  concealed  elsewhere.  The  same 
cause  induced  the  construction  of  massive 
pyramid  tombs  and  mastabas;  and  often  the 
sarcophagus  was  hidden  far  below  these  struc- 
tures in  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  and  the  pas- 
sage to  it  filled  in  with  debris,  and  walled  up 
to  protect  the  mummy  from  discovery  and 
desecration. 

Food,  and  all  the  objects  to  which  it  had 
been  accustomed,  were  as  necessary  to  the 


264     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

spirit  after  death  as  before.  These  the  rela- 
tives took  care  to  supply,  especially  at  every 
festival  of  the  year,  as  any  negligence  on  their 
part  might  be  punished  by  the  unsatisfied 
ghost.  Vases,  household  furniture  and  uten- 
sils, stuffs,  weapons,  and  indeed  every  kind 
of  article  which  the  dead  had  used  in  life, 
were  placed  in  the  mortuary  chamber. 

A  table  of  offerings  —  in  some  instances  a 
slab  of  alabaster  supported  on  lion's  legs, 
with  depressed  circles  for  food,  and  a  groove 
down  the  tail  for  liquids  to  flow  off --was 
placed  before  the  table.  As  an  article  of 
food  was  laid  down,  the  relative  or  officiating 
priest  recited  the  proper  formula,  with  pre- 
scribed gesture  and  requisite  tone  of  voice. 
The  double  of  the  food  then  emerged,  and 
was  gathered  up  by  the  Ka,  who  came 
through  the  portal  to  receive  it,  and  carried 
it  to  his  table  within,  which  we  see  pictured 
before  him  on  the  wall  over  the  stela.  Some- 
times the  poor  would  bury  a  little  statuette 
of  their  dead  at  the  door  of  a  Dives'  tomb, 
hoping  their  Lazarus  might  pick  up  some 
crumbs  let  fall  from  the  rich  man's  table. 

In  order  to  supplement  the  efforts  of  the 
family  in  case  they  forget  to  care  for  the 
dead,  the  walls  of  the  sarcophagus,  chapel 
and  tomb  were  converted  into  magic  pre- 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     265 

cincts.  They  were  covered  with  pictures  illus- 
trative of  the  processes  of  producing  food,  — 
ploughing,  planting,  harvesting,  slaughter- 
ing, and  cooking ;  —  all  of  which  were  en- 
dowed with  latent  life  by  virtue  of  prayers 
pronounced  over  them  at  the  funeral  serv- 
ices. Beside  them,  as  an  extra  precaution, 
were  hieroglyphed  magic  texts,  to  assist  the 
memory  of  the  Ka  in  making  them  effectual. 
If  the  mummy  were  hungry,  or  thirsty,  de- 
sired music,  or  wished  to  go  hunting,  he  had 
only  to  glance  at  the  wall,  and  his  wish  was 
gratified. 

Mr.  Henry  Copley  Greene  writing  in  the 
"  Century  Magazine "  of  November,  1905, 
describes  the  discovery,  in  the  Valley  of  the 
Tombs  of  the  Kings,  of  loua  and  Tioua, 
parents  of  Queen  Thiy  of  the  Eighteenth 
Dynasty;  and  the  finding  there  of  seventy- 
two  jars  of  food  —  mummied  legs  of  mutton, 
jars  of  still  liquid  honey,  old  chairs,  beds,  and 
chariots  —  the  latter  with  a  purposely  broken 
yoke,  as  if  to  intimate  that  the  articles  had 
been  killed  in  order  that  their  doubles  might 
serve  the  Ka  of  the  deceased.  I  saw  in  the 
Cairo  Museum  a  most  remarkable  "  dead 
story,"  a  piece  of  limestone  inscribed  with  a 
tale,  and  purposely  broken  to  kill  it;  it  had 
been  placed  in  the  tomb  of  Sannotum,  that 


266     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

its  Ka  might  amuse  the  Ka  of  the  dead  man 
when  he  desired  entertainment. 

There  is  also  always  on  the  walls  an  invo- 
cation to  three  gods  —  to  Anubis,  the  in- 
ventor of  swathing-bands ;  to  the  jackal- 
headed  god,  the  guide  of  the  sun  through  the 
heavens,  and  of  the  dead  through  the  paths 
of  the  other  world;  and  to  Osiris,  who  was 
the  first  to  escape  from  the  tomb  into  the  light 
of  heaven,  where  he  wanders  at  pleasure,  the 
Paradise  of  lalu.  Osiris  was  especially  re- 
vered, because  of  his  power  to  raise  with  him- 
self all  of  his  worshippers,  who  became  identi- 
fied with  him,  and  were  thus  enabled  to  walk 
the  earth  during  the  day. 

For  their  guidance  in  the  next  life  papyri 
of  inscriptions,  and  magic  texts  from  the 
Book  of  the  Dead,  were  placed  in  wooden 
boxes,  made  in  the  form  of  Osiris,  and  laid 
in  the  tomb. 

To  facilitate  the  movements  of  the  double 
in  his  excursions  to  the  outer  world,  there  was 
carved  on  the  side  of  the  sarcophagus,  oppo- 
site the  face  of  the  mummy,  and  on  the  wall 
as  well,  a  false  door  with  bolts,  which  the  Ka 
might  draw  as  he  went  out,  and  fasten  se- 
curely on  his  return.  Over  these  doors  were 
sculptured  two  eyes,  representing  the  eyes  of 
the  mummy,  looking  out  at  the  sacrifices  and 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     267 

rites  being  offered  for  it.  Moreover,  an  arti- 
ficial eye  —  sometimes  of  glass  —  was  often 
deposited  in  the  sarcophagus  to  protect  the 
dead  from  the  evil  eye. 

There  is  usually,  on  the  mummy-case  be- 
neath the  picture  of  the  deceased,  a  represen- 
tation of  a  bull  running  toward  the  western 
desert,  indicating  to  the  double  the  direction 
it  must  take  on  leaving  the  tomb,  in  order  to 
reach  the  other  world.  Sometimes  the  bull  is 
shown  bearing  the  mummy  on  his  back. 

In  the  tomb  of  Mera,  at  Sakkarah,  the 
statue  of  the  deceased  stands  within  the  niche 
of  the  stela,  with  one  foot  advanced  to  step 
down  and  take  his  gifts.  Another  Sakkarah 
tomb  depicts  the  head  only  as  emerging  from 
the  vault;  while  a  third  shows  the  spirit  half 
risen.  They  remind  me  of  the  marble  effigies 
on  the  European  tombs  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury, some  of  which  were  portrayed  sleeping, 
others  kneeling,  or  leaning  on  an  elbow;  later 
artists  sculptured  the  dead  as  standing  on  the 
lid  of  his  sarcophagus;  still  later,  the  de- 
ceased was  shown  mounted  on  a  charger,  and 
some  were  even  flying  toward  heaven. 

As  decay  or  accident  might  destroy  the 
mummy,  and  thus  lead  to  the  second  or  irrep- 
arable death  of  the  Ka,  it  was  devised  that 
a  portrait  statue  of  wood,  or  of  stone,  be 


268     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

made  of  the  deceased,  as  he  was  in  the  prime 
of  life.  This  was  to  be  consecrated  by  prayer 
at  the  funeral,  and  be  made  active  by  the 
ceremony  of  opening  the  apertures  closed  in 
embalming.  In  the  tomb  of  Seti  I  such  stat- 
ues are  shown  set  up  on  a  heap  of  sand  and 
undergoing  purification  by  water  and  fire. 
They  then  have  their  eyes,  mouth,  nose  and 
ears  opened  by  a  chisel,  an  adz,  and  a  bag 
of  carnelians,  so  that  they  may  see  and  taste 
the  food  offered  them.  The  image  could  be 
used  in  every  way  by  the  double,  as  it  had 
used  the  body,  when  alive.  Hereafter  it  could 
eat,  drink  and  speak  for  him. 

The  statue  was  not  only  a  substitute,  but 
the  man  himself,  re-animated  with  all  his  fac- 
ulties. Moreover,  the  chances  of  immortality 
were  greatly  increased  by  having  not  one,  but 
many,  portrait  statues  made,  some  of  them 
walled  in,  in  the  serdab,  or  sealed  chamber 
off  the  sepulchre,  with  a  crevice  only  left  for 
the  incense  to  penetrate  and  animate  them; 
others  were  placed  in  various  chapels.  The 
dead  could  inhabit  at  will  these  numerous 
statues,  which  are  wonderfully  life-like  works 
of  art.  The  statues  of  the  Fourth,  Fifth,  and 
Sixth  Dynasties  are  the  most  truly  individual. 
Occasionally  we  see  a  dwarf  statue.  The  Ka 
of  a  dwarf  would  naturally  have  found  a 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     269 

fully  developed  body  cumbersome  to  use.  All 
this  explains  the  erection  throughout  Egypt 
of  so  many  portrait  statues  of  the  great  kings. 

The  placing  in  the  tomb  of  statues  of  the 
deceased's  wife,  children,  and  servants,  like- 
wise secured  for  him  their  companionship, 
since  their  doubles  would  naturally  frequent 
their  particular  images.  The  funeral  barge, 
used  in  ferrying  across  the  Nile,  was  left  in 
the  tomb  for  the  use  of  the  Ka,  in  his  passage 
from  the  cemetery  to  the  other  world. 

As  their  ideas  of  immortality  developed  we 
find  no  longer  among  the  Egyptians  the  con- 
ception of  one  indivisible  Ka,  but  of  several 
Kas,  some  dwelling  in  the  tomb  of  the 
mummy,  some  in  the  chapel,  and  some  in  the 
statues,  while  still  others  could  accompany  the 
nobler  part,  or  bird-soul,  in  its  wanderings. 

Nevertheless,  the  Ka  had  still  to  be  nour- 
ished, in  order  that  it  escape  the  second  death 
that  meant  annihilation. 

Various  devices  at  different  periods  were 
adopted  to  meet  this  need.  Instead  of  one 
stela,  two  were  erected  —  one  at  the  tomb, 
and  a  second  in  some  more  accessible  spot, 
where  the  reading  of  it  aloud,  together  with 
the  name  of  the  dead,  would  procure  him  the 
necessary  food.  It  was  considered  a  pious 
act  to  read  these  formulae,  and,  moreover,  the 


270     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

reader  willingly  did  it,  hoping  that  in  the 
hereafter  the  god  would  feed  him.  Such  ex- 
hortations as  this  are  often  met  with: 

"O!  Ye  princes,  O!  Ye  first  prophets,  O! 
Ye  high  priests,  O!  Ye  priests,  celebrant  and 
initiated  in  the  mysteries,  O!  Ye  lay  proph- 
ets, O!  Ye  officials,  O!  Ye  dwellers  in  your 
cities,  all  who  may  be  in  this  temple,  and  who 
passing  by  may  recite  this  formula,  if  you 
desire  that  Osiris  Khontamentit  may  never 
cease  to  offer  you  his  festival  cakes,  or  if  you 
desire  that  the  jackal  Uapuatitu,  your  god 
whose  love  is  sweet,  should  make  your  heart 
glad  like  the  heart  of  a  king,  for  ever  and 
ever,  if  you  love  life  and  hate  death,  and  if 
you  desire  strength  for  your  children,  say 
with  your  mouth:  formula  for  thousands  of 
bread,  wine,  cakes,  oxen,  geese,  perfumes, 
garments,  and  all  things  good  and  pure  which 
are  for  the  life  of  a  god,  to  the  Ka  of  Sahot- 
pabri,  son  of  the  lady  Moutnibdidit." 

A  favourite  place  for  the  second  stela  was 
in  some  temple  or  at  the  great  Necropolis  at 
Abydos,  one  of  the  four  tombs  of  Osiris,  near 
the  lofty  mountain  range,  through  the  narrow 
gorge  of  which  the  souls  of  the  dead  had  to 
pass  in  order  to  reach  the  western  waters 
where  the  barge  of  the  sun  sinks  into  dark- 
ness. Those  souls  acquainted  with  the  way 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     271 

were  allowed  to  enter  the  bark  under  the 
guidance  of  the  god. 

During  the  later  Theban  period  it  was  the 
custom  to  go  or  send  to  Abydos,  and  dedicate 
a  stela  to  one's  self,  or  one's  relatives.  Thus 
the  stela  came  to  be  regarded  as  a  sort  of 
resting-place  of  the  soul  on  its  way  to  the 
barge  of  the  sun.  Instance  the  following: 

"  As  he  passes,  loaded  with  offerings,  with 
the  servants  of  Osiris,  the  Lords  of  Mendes 
exalt  him,  and  the  great  ones  of  Abydos  ap- 
plaud him.  He  has  put  his  hand  to  the  helm 
in  the  barge  of  the  Sun,  upon  the  ways  of 
the  west,  and  the  Lords  of  Abydos  have  said 
to  him,  Go  in  peace! " 

On  the  stela  is  sculptured  the  solar  disc 
with  wide-spreading  wings  to  indicate  that 
the  Ka,  or  bird-soul,  is  no  longer  confined  in 
the  tomb,  but  accompanies  the  sun  by  day 
and  by  night.  Below  it  are  the  two  eyes  of 
the  dead  and  of  heaven  —  the  right  eye  em- 
blematic of  the  sun,  and  left  of  the  moon. 
Space  on  the  stela  is  then  given  to  the  many 
gods,  to  whom  the  table  of  offerings  is  now 
made,  with  an  invocation  exhorting  them  to 
share  their  gifts  with  the  Ka  of  the  deceased, 
since  it  may  be  absent  in  any  one  of  their 
domains. 

Here  is  a  typical  inscription  copied  from 


272     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

a  mortuary  tablet  enumerating  the  powers 
especially  desired  of  the  gods: 

"  Glory  in  heaven,  power  over  earth,  truth 
of  voice  in  Hades,  the  faculty  of  entering 
and  leaving  his  tomb,  or  reposing  in  the  cool 
shade,  of  drinking  every  day  from  his  tank, 
and  receiving  all  nourishment  from  the  Nile, 
all  herbs  in  their  season;  that  the  bird-soul 
may  perch  upon  the  trees  of  his  garden,  that 
he  should  rest  in  the  shade  of  the  sycamore 
trees,  and  eat  of  their  fruit." 

In  the  end,  therefore,  the  stela  came  to  typ- 
ify the  universe,  through  which  the  Ka  was 
now  privileged  to  wander.  '  Those  There  " 
was  the  correct  phrase  used  by  polite  society 
in  referring  to  the  dead:  King  Aahmes  while 
feasting  with  his  favourite  princess  pours  a 
libation  of  water  to  "  Those  There." 

The  Egyptians  of  all  ages,  but  more  espe- 
cially those  of  the  later  dynasties,  from  700 
B.  c.  on,  were  great  believers  in  charms,  which 
they  wore  and  also  placed  in  their  tombs; 
two  extended  fingers  of  jet  protect  from  the 
evil  eye,  and  open  the  mouth  of  the  mummy; 
a  hand  gives  the  dead  authority  to  seize,  and 
keep,  whatever  he  needs;  a  foot  endows  him 
with  power  to  walk;  little  tables  of  offerings 
enable  him  to  recite  the  proper  formula  to 
himself  to  vitalize  his  gifts :  "  An  ox  with 


legs  tied  together,  and  head  cut  off,  furnishes 
him  real  meat  through  all  eternity." 

A  pectoral  with  its  scarab,  placed  on  a 
solar  boat,  permitted  the  deceased  to  enter 
the  barge,  and  adore  the  morning  sun. 

The  oblong  amulet  of  lapis  lazuli  in  the 
form  of  a  cartouche  had  the  effect  of  securing 
to  the  dead  possession  of  his  own  name,  and 
informing  him  of  the  names  of  such  of  the 
gods  as  he  might  wish  to  invoke.  This  amu- 
let was  most  essential  to  men  and  to  things, 
since  nothing  existed  which  had  not  a  name, 
and  loss  of  name  was  equivalent  to  loss  of 
independence  and  individuality.  Even  the 
gods  themselves  were  subject  to  this  law,  and 
if  invoked  by  their  real  names  with  prescribed 
formulas,  were  obliged  to  grant  the  request. 
The  cartouche  was  usually  left  blank,  so  that 
no  sorcerer  should  learn  the  name  of  the 
mummy,  and  work  him  harm. 

A  carving  of  a  lotus  was  the  talisman  of 
eternal  youth,  this  prolific  flower  typifying 
the  immortality  of  the  human  soul.  The 
Egyptian  Christians  of  the  first  century  em- 
ployed to  typify  resurrection  the  figure  of 
a  frog,  an  ancient  amulet  emblematic  of  dura- 
tion and  renovation. 

A  little  pot  with  two  ears  was  the  charm 
representing  the  heart  and  was  laid  on  the 


274     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

mummy  to  take  the  place  of  that  organ, 
which  was  always  removed  and  sealed  in  one 
of  the  four  canopic  jars.  The  thirtieth  chap- 
ter of  the  Book  of  the  Dead  recited  over  this 
charm  prevented  the  heart  from  appearing  at 
the  day  of  judgment,  to  bear  witness  against 
its  former  owner.  Little  figures  of  wood,  or 
of  limestone,  in  the  form  of  a  hawk  with 
human  head  and  hands,  typified  the  soul,  and 
was  "  seated  upon  the  breast  of  the  defunct 
with  hands  upon  its  heart,  in  order  to  restore 
life  to  it." 

The  Egyptian  word  for  scarabasus  being 
the  same  as  the  verb  "to  be,"  led  to  the  scarab 
being  adopted  as  the  symbol  of  existence.  It 
also  typified  the  heart  —  without  which  man 
could  not  exist.  This  charm  was  worn  by 
living  as  well  as  dead,  and  was  always  placed 
in  the  mummy  wrappings.  '  The  scarab 
upon  the  breast  is  the  image  of  the  transfor- 
mations by  which  creation  is  continually  re- 
newed." A  flying  scarab,  with  wings  at- 
tached by  thread  to  its  body,  was  fastened 
to  the  necklace  on  the  breast  of  the  mummy; 
it  typified  the  sun  on  his  diurnal  passage 
across  the  heavens,  and  secured  for  the  Ka  of 
the  mummy  the  power  of  entering  into  the 
day  and  departing  out  of  it  with  the  sun. 

The  Museum  in  Cairo  contains  the  mummy 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     275 

of  a  serpent  carefully  preserved  in  its  coffin. 
The  serpent  was  regarded  as  a  protecting 
genius;  even  now  in  isolated  towns  every 
house,  we  are  told,  has  a  snake  for  its  guar- 
dian spirit. 

One  curious  representation  of  Osiris,  thus 
far  unique,  was  found  still  intact  in  the  tomb 
of  Maiharpiri,  who  lived  in  the  time  of  Moses. 
It  is  a  figure  of  the  god  of  immortality  made 
of  growing  corn.  Over  the  frame  of  a  low 
bedstead  had  been  stretched  a  piece  of  coarse 
linen  on  which  had  been  sown  seeds  of  corn 
in  the  shape  of  an  Osiris  mummy.  The  bed 
had  then  evidently  been  kept  under  water 
until  the  corn  was  a  foot  or  two  high.  The 
stalks  were  then  laid  flat  on  one  side  and 
dried  thus  and  the  whole  placed  in  the  tomb. 
This  Osiride  figure  of  growing  corn  was  of 
course  intended  to  typify  the  resurrection  — 
a  new  growth  emanating  from  the  seed  of  a 
dead  plant.  The  god  himself  was  thought  to 
have  vegetated  in  this  way  before  his  resurrec- 
tion. 

Osiris  was  an  indigenous  Libyan  god,  far 
older  than  the  Egyptian  Re.  Because  he  suf- 
fered, was  slain  by  Set  and  the  powers  of 
darkness,  and  rose  again  to  be  ruler  of  the 
dead,  he  became  to  the  Egyptians  the  type 
of  resurrection,  —  an  idea  universal  even  in 


276     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

the  dawn  of  Egyptian  history.  The  dead 
were  identified  with  Osiris,  and  are  called 
Osiris.  An  invocation  made  by  the  scribe, 
Ani,  to  Osiris  corroborates  this: 

"  Grant  that  I  may  be  an  Osiris,  greatly 
favoured  of  the  beautiful  god"  (Osiris). 

Over  his  table  of  offerings,  also,  is  the  title 
of  the  dead  —  "  Osiris,  the  scribe  Ani." 

It  now  only  remains  to  tell  of  the  Ushab- 
tiu,  or  Answerers.  They  are  little  statuettes 
of  wood,  stone,  or  porcelain,  usually  made  in 
the  form  of  an  Osiris  mummy,  for  they  were 
to  take  the  place  of  the  deceased  who  at  death 
each  became  an  Osiris.  They  were  placed  in 
the  tomb  sometimes  by  the  thousand,  and 
were  required  to  answer  instead  of  the  de- 
ceased, when  Osiris  demanded  of  the  dead 
certain  agricultural  tasks  which  he  had  a 
right  to  require.  Engraved  on  the  figures 
are  formulae  exhorting  them  to  answer—  "  O! 
ye  answerers!  If  the  monarch  Phtahmosis  is 
called,  is  chosen,  to  do  all  the  works  that  have 
to  be  done  in  the  other  world,  he  who  has 
fought  with  his  enemies,  if  he  should  have  to 
sow  the  fields,  fill  the  canals,  and  transport  the 
grain  from  east  to  west,  like  one  whose  duty 
it  is  to  do  these  things,  then  do  ye  exclaim, 
*  It  is  I,  I  am  here,'  even  if  you  should  be 
called  at  any  hour  of  every  day." 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     277 

Sometimes  these  little  answerers  were  en- 
closed in  tiny  coffins.  There  is  recorded  on 
the  mummy  case  of  Amenophis  I  two  visits 
of  officials  "  to  verify  the  condition  of  the 
mummy  and  assure  its  up-keep."  They  were 
expected  to  replace  the  funeral  furniture  "  of 
this  god  (Amenophis  I),"  who  was  wor- 
shipped with  specially  appointed  services. 


APPENDIX   II 

A  Short  Sketch  of  the  History  of  Ancient  Egypt,  compiled  mostly 
from  Dr.  James  Henry  Breasted's  recent  delightful  and  schol- 
arly History  of  Egypt,  and  from  Messrs.  Hall  and  King's 
Egyptian  History,  Volume  XIII. 

THE  written  records  of  Egypt  begin  4000 
B.  c. ;  the  relics  of  the  Neolithic  Age  found 
on  the  banks  of  the  Nile  antedate  history 
several  thousand  years,  while  local  remains  of 
the  Palaeolithic  period  point  to  a  still  earlier 
epoch. 

The  flint  tools  and  weapons  found  on  the 
margin  of  the  Egyptian  desert  and  on  the 
plateau  above  the  Tombs  of  the  Kings,  in  the 
flint  quarries  west  of  Thebes,  are  far  finer  and 
more  beautifully  wrought  than  similar  Palae- 
olithic relics  of  the  contemporary  Glacial 
period  of  Northern  Europe  and  America. 
The  most  ancient  Nilotes  kept  to  the  desert, 
for  the  Nile  was  then  one  vast  jungle  or 
marsh,  the  haunt  of  beasts  and  serpents.  On 
these  wind-swept  slopes  under  a  few  inches 
of  soil  are  shallow  graves,  in  which,  covered 
by  an  earthen  pot  or  more  often  merely  a 

278 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     279 

mat,  lie  on  their  left  sides  bodies  with  knees 
crowded  up  to  the  chin  in  the  attitude  pecul- 
iar to  the  period.  Beside  each  corpse  are  a 
few  flints,  pieces  of  polished  pottery  and  bits 
of  copper.  Earthenware  of  this  age  —  a 
black  and  red  pottery  decorated  with  red  con- 
centric rings  on  a  white  ground  —  has  also 
been  found  between  Abydos  and  Edfu. 

Although  the  Neolithic  Age  probably 
closed  5000  B.  c.,  stone  axe-heads,  made  in 
imitation  of  copper,  continued  until  the 
Twelfth  Dynasty,  3000  years  later;  after 
which  time  the  only  such  implement  employed 
was  the  ceremonial  knife,  "  the  Ethiopian 
Stone "  of  Herodotus,  used  in  making  the 
first  incision  in  a  dead  body,  preparatory  to 
embalmment;  no  such  curious  knife,  how- 
ever, is  extant. 

To  the  period  just  preceding  the  monarchy 
is  to  be  assigned  not  only  a  very  perfect  and 
highly  ornamented  buff  pottery  shaped  by 
hand  before  the  invention  of  the  wheel,  but 
also  the  finest  flint  knives  in  the  world  with 
handles  of  gold,  and  blades  engraved  with 
the  same  precious  metal.  Poor  copies  of  these 
superb  tools  have  also  been  found;  they  have 
proved  to  be  archaistic  flints  made  during  the 
Twelfth  Dynasty  to  gratify  the  antiquarian 
taste  affected  by  that  age. 


280     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

The  antiquity  of  iron  in  Egypt  is  likewise 
assured  by  the  finding  of  a  piece  of  wrought 
iron  between  two  inner  blocks,  deep  down  in 
an  air  shaft  of  the  Great  Pyramid,  where  it 
must  have  been  lying  nearly  3,000  years. 
Further  evidence  of  the  age  of  this  metal  was 
obtained  in  1902  by  Prof.  Petrie,  who  discov- 
ered at  Abydos,  among  some  bronze  tools  of 
the  Sixth  Dynasty,  a  fragment  of  undoubted 
iron.  This  latter  find  confirms  the  former, 
and  establishes  the  fact  that  the  Age  of  Iron 
began  in  Egypt  a  full  2000  years  before  its 
discovery  in  Europe  1000  B.  c. 

The  skull  form  of  the  indigenous  Egyp- 
tian, and  his  cramped  posture  of  interment, 
indicate  a  kinship  with  the  Libyans  of  the 
Mediterranean.  Bodies  primitively  embalmed 
and  lying  full  length  are  evidently  of  late 
date,  for  they  are  those  of  a  more  highly 
developed  race;  their  tools  testify  to  a  knowl- 
edge of  metals,  an  established  government, 
and  a  more  advanced  civilization. 

To  this  epoch  belong  the  legends  of  a  Red 
Sea  origin;  moreover,  current  reliefs  of  Up- 
per Egypt  depict  the  overthrow  by  the  South 
of  a  different  race  of  Egyptians,  who,  while 
indigenous,  strongly  resemble  Libyans. 

These  various  evidences  point  to  Babylon 
as  the  home  of  the  conquerors,  and  the  Red 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     281 

Sea  coast  —  the  land  of  Punt  —  as  their 
route  of  approach ;  instance  the  following :  — 
To  Punt  —  modern  Abyssinia  and  Somali- 
land,  a  country  closely  associated  with  Egyp- 
tian traditions,  the  early  people  of  the  Nile 
valley  owe  their  fashion  of  the  up-turned 
beard,  so  prevalent  in  reliefs  of  the  period  — 
a  style  reserved  for  the  gods  after  the  Third 
Dynasty. 

In  prehistoric  Babylon  extended  burial  and 
a  simple  method  of  embalming  in  salt,  oil  or 
honey  was  practised,  the  cramped  attitude 
being  totally  unknown.  In  Egypt,  on  the 
contrary,  full-length  interment  was  a  custom 
evidently  imported;  during  the  earlier  reigns 
we  find  the  two  manners  coeval  —  the  fellah 
lying  crouched  on  his  side  —  the  noble  at  full- 
length  on  his  back.  After  the  Fourth  Dy- 
nasty extended  burial  is  universal. 

Moreover,  the  language  of  primeval  Egypt 
is  composite;  to  an  elemental  tongue,  akin 
to  the  Berber  dialects  of  Northern  Africa, 
had  been  added  notable  Semitic  words  of 
higher  culture. 

The  arts  of  Egypt  —  her  wrought  metals, 
reliefs  and  architecture,  likewise  show  Baby- 
lon influence;  a  mace  head  found  near  the 
Nile  is  an  exact  copy  of  those  of  the  ancient 
Asiatic  city.  Moreover,  the  conquerors  under- 


282     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

stood  the  art  of  engineering  and  taught  the 
inhabitants  to  control  the  Nile  by  dikes  and 
construct  the  canals,  so  beneficial  to  Egypt. 

A  stone  monument  called  "  The  Stela  of 
Vultures "  found  in  Babylon  and  now  pre- 
served in  Paris,  depicts  the  casting  out  of  an 
early  Babylonian  ruler  to  be  devoured  by 
vultures.  A  contemporary  slate  relief,  dating 
from  the  First  Dynasty,  has  been  discovered 
in  Egypt.  It  portrays  a  scene  remarkably 
similar,  —  an  official  in  long  fringed  garment 
of  Babylonian  type  casting  into  a  desert  cap- 
tives to  be  devoured  by  lions  and  vultures. 
The  two  reliefs  also  resemble  in  the  peculiar 
clumsy  mannerisms  of  their  primitive  art. 
The  sculptures  of  the  Second  Dynasty  are 
quite  different,  being  more  like  those  of  later 
Egyptian  epochs. 

Again,  the  religion  of  pre-dynastic  times 
reveals  two  distinct  sources,  —  a  barbaric  ani- 
mal and  corpse  worship,  and  a  loftier  sun 
worship,  Babylonian  in  type,  and  Semitic  in 
its  monotheistic  tendency.  The  landmarks  of 
the  Egyptian  nomes,  which  must  have  been 
set  up  in  very  early  times,  were  figures  of 
magic  animals  —  fetishes  of  semi-savage 
tribes.  Heliopolis  and  Edfu,  on  the  other 
hand,  were  the  seats  of  a  nobler  sun  worship, 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     283 

where  Re-Harmakhis  was  revered  as  god  of 
the  rising  sun  —  his  emblem  a  sphinx  facing 
eastward  —  and  Turn-Re,  god  of  the  setting 
sun,  was  honoured  by  an  obelisk,  reminiscent 
of  the  Semitic  bethel,  or  stone  pillar  of  Pal- 
estine. Not  until  the  monarchy  was  well  es- 
tablished were  these  two  beliefs  amalgamated 
into  one  national  religion. 

The  most  plausible  hypothesis  of  the  eth- 
nology of  Egypt,  therefore,  —  according  to 
Messrs.  Hall  and  King,  —  is  that  the  original 
Nilotes  or  dwellers  on  the  Nile,  a  race  affili- 
ated with  the  Libyans  of  Asia  Minor,  were 
conquered  by  a  people  coming  from  the  east, 
probably  through  the  Straits  of  Bab  el-Man- 
deb,  and  along  the  Red  Sea  coast  —  a  Semitic 
people,  whose  home  was  Babylon,  and  who 
brought  with  them  the  ancient  culture  of  the 
earlier  Sumerian  inhabitants  of  that  city. 
This  Semitic-Sumerian  civilization,  combined 
with  that  of  the  indigenous  Nilotes,  —  pro- 
duced the  culture  we  now  know  as  that  of 
Ancient  Egypt. 

In  the  far  dawn  of  history  the  ancient 
Egyptian  calculated  the  calendar,  and  gave 
us  our  first  authentic  world-date  B.  c.  4241. 

Heretofore  Egyptian  history  has  begun 
with  the  Pyramid  builders  of  the  Fourth  Dy- 


284     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

nasty,  but  recently  the  real  names  of  four 
kings  of  the  First,  and  two  of  the  Second 
Dynasty,  have  been  recovered. 

Narmer,  the  last  of  the  ancient  pre-his- 
toric  kings  of  Hierakonpolis,  and  the  last 
likewise  on  Manetho's  List  of  Spirits,  is  prob- 
ably the  Mena  whom  the  XVIII  Dynasty  re- 
garded as  the  first  Egyptian  Pharaoh.  Vo- 
tive offerings  at  Hierakonpolis  record  the 
conquest  of  Narmer,  the  Mighty,  over  the 
Ami  of  Heliopolis  and  the  Delta  —  people  of 
Semitic  features.  This  conquest  united  the 
tribes  into  a  nation;  the  erection  of  Memphis, 
the  "  City  of  the  White  Wall,"  the  wall  being 
of  brick  bound  together  with  branches  of 
palms  and  covered  with  white  stucco,  central- 
ized the  government;  the  dynasty  was  then 
established,  and  history  began. 

The  high  lights  of  that  early  Ancient  Em- 
pire were  Narmer  or  Menes,  founder  of 
Memphis,  and  first  king  of  the  first  recorded 
Dynasty;  Zoser,  who  annexed  the  Penin- 
sula of  Sinai,  and  constructed  the  first  stone 
monument,  the  Step  Pyramid;  Khufu  and 
Khafre,  builders  of  the  Great  Pyramids,  and 
Mentuhotep,  who  established  the  first  world 
metropolis,  by  making  Thebes  his  capital,  and 
enlarging  and  beautifying  the  city. 

During  the  thousand  years'  prosperity  of 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     285 

her  Old  Empire,  Egypt  launched  the  first 
sea-going  ships  of  history  —  barring  the  ark 
—  invented  the  column,  constructed  the  colon- 
nade, and  developed  a  well  organized  gov- 
ernment and  a  large  body  of  law. 

A  period  of  anarchy  followed  —  three  hun- 
dred years  of  civil  war  between  petty  mon- 
archs,  —  during  which  time  many  monuments 
were  destroyed,  and  some  of  the  finest  sepul- 
chres; seven  diorite  statues  of  Khafre  which 
adorned  the  Causeway  Gate  before  the  Sec- 
ond Pyramid  were  then  cast  into  the  court- 
yard well,  whence  they  have  been  rescued 
within  the  last  century. 

The  Middle  Empire  opens  with  the  Twelfth 
Dynasty,  whose  kings  bear  the  names  of 
Amenemhet  and  Sesostris.  During  the  reign 
of  Sesostris  I  messages  began  to  be  sent  to 
and  from  Egypt  and  Palestine;  this  Pha- 
raoh, moreover,  was  the  first  to  lead  an  army 
in  person  into  a  foreign  land,  while  Sesostris 
III  was  the  earliest  Egyptian  to  invade 
Syria.  Sesostris  III  is  also  famous  as  the 
builder  of  the  splendid  temples  of  Heliopolis, 
where  he  erected  his  obelisk,  and  dug  the 
sacred  lake  of  which  he  boasts: 

"  My  beauty  shall  be  remembered  in  his  house ; 
My  name  is  the  pyramidion, 
My  name  is  the  lake  "  — 


286     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

pyramidion  being  the  pointed  peak  of  the 
obelisk. 

Amenemhet  III  —  the  Moeris  of  the 
Greeks  —  enlarged  the  Fayum  basin,  and 
thus  formed  Lake  Moeris,  the  water  of  which 
made  arable  a  large  region,  formerly  desert. 
Statues  of  the  founder,  forty  to  fifty  feet 
high,  were  set  up  about  the  lake.  At  Ha- 
wara,  bordering  Lake  Moeris,  Amenemhet 
III  built  his  pyramid,  and  erected  beside  it 
a  temple,  the  area  of  which  exceeded  those  of 
Karnak,  Luxor  and  the  Ramesseum  com- 
bined, and  which  served  as  an  administrative 
centre  for  many  nomes.  Huge  single  stones 
constituted  the  ceilings  of  many  of  these  halls, 
writes  Strabo,  who  christened  this  temple  the 
Egyptian  Labyrinth  because  its  size,  plan 
and  material  of  white  stone,  as  well  as  other 
general  features,  bore  a  strong  resemblance 
to  the  famous  Cretan  Labyrinth  of  King 
Minos  at  Knossos  —  a  building  of  nearly  con- 
temporary date.  With  these  Labyrinthine 
temples  Mr.  H.  P.  Hall  likewise  ranks  the 
Temple  of  the  Sphinx  at  Gizeh,  which  he 
regards  as  probably  dating  from  the  same 
Twelfth  Dynasty. 

That  there  existed  early  communication  be- 
tween Egypt  and  Crete  many  recent  discov- 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     287 

cries  attest.  At  Knossos  there  have  been 
found  Third  Dynasty  Egyptian  vases;  also 
an  Egyptian  statuette  of  Abnub,  an  inhab- 
itant of  the  Nile,  whose  name  proclaims  his 
period  —  the  close  of  the  Thirteenth  Dynasty. 
The  top  of  an  alabastron  bearing  the  name 
of  Khian,  —  a  Hyksos  king,  —  a  relic  discov- 
ered at  Knossos,  forms  a  third  link  in  the 
chain  of  evidence.  On  the  other  hand,  Prof. 
Petrie  has  dug  up  near  Hawara  in  Egypt, 
among  Thirteenth  Dynasty  antiquities,  frag- 
ments of  a  polychrome  pottery,  lately  identi- 
fied as  Cretan  ware  of  the  early  epoch  of 
King  Minos.  These  facts  prove  beyond  ques- 
tion the  intercourse  of  Egypt  with  Crete  in 
the  Twelfth  Dynasty,  and  possibly  even  as 
early  as  the  Sixth  Dynasty. 

The  reign  of  Amenemhet  III,  which  lasted 
until  1801  B.  c.,  was  the  Augustan  Age  of 
the  Middle  Empire;  its  literature  was  imag- 
inative, elegant  in  form,  and  ornate  with 
metaphor.  A  peculiar,  affected  style  of  hier- 
oglyphics was  for  a  time  the  mode;  birds 
without  legs,  bees  without  heads,  and  ducks 
without  tails;  these  abbreviated  images,  how- 
ever, had  only  a  temporary  vogue.  The 
Egyptian  version  of  Sindebad  the  Sailor,  then 
current,  describes  the  adventures  of  a  man, 


288     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

wrecked  on  a  voyage  to  Punt,  rescued  by  the 
serpent  queen  of  an  island,  and  returned  in 
safety  to  his  native  land. 

And,  while  the  world  was  still  young,  we 
find  a  Faust,  who,  tired  of  life,  seeks  to  con- 
vince his  reluctant  soul  that  they  would  bet- 
ter end  existence,  in  the  hope  of  entering  a 
happier  state  hereafter. 

One  curious  legend  tells  of  a  Sibylline  seer 
standing  before  the  Pharaoh,  pouring  forth 
Jeremiads  of  wrath  on  the  powerful  ruler 
and  his  rich  nobles,  threatening  destruction 
of  the  existing  regime,  and  prophesying  the 
advent  of  a  deliverer,  "  who  shall  be  a  shep- 
herd of  all  people;  there  is  no  evil  in  his 
heart.  If  his  flocks  go  astray  he  shall  spend 
the  day  to  search  them.  —  Verily  he  shall 
smite  evil  when  he  raises  his  arm  against  it." 
By  such  strange  oracles  did  the  priest  fore- 
tell the  appearing  of  a  Saviour  of  the  people. 
From  time  to  time  similar  prophecies  occur  in 
subsequent  Egyptian  literature.  May  it  not 
be,  as  Dr.  Breasted  wisely  surmises,  that  these 
curious  utterances  suggested  to  the  Hebrew 
seers  the  form  and  matter  of  the  Messianic 
prophecies,  to  which  they  gave  a  higher  eth- 
ical and  religious  significance?  Other  com- 
positions are  variants  of  the  old  theme,  "Eat, 
drink  and  be  merry  for  to-morrow  ye  die." 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     289 

Instance  the  following,  which  has  a  decidedly 
Egyptian  flavour :  — 

"  The  gods  who  were  aforetime  rest  in  their  pyramids, 
Likewise  the  noble  and  wise,  entombed  in  their  pyramids. 

None  cometh  from  hence. 
Encourage  thy  heart  to  forget  it. 

«••«•••••• 

Celebrate  the  glad  day  ! 

Rest  not  therein ! 

For  lo,  none  taketh  his  goods  with  him 

Yea,  no  man  returneth  again,  that  is  gone  thither." 

Then  came  an  interregnum  of  two  hundred 
years,  during  which  Egypt  was  under  the 
dominion  of  a  foreign  power  —  the  Hyksos, 
or  Shepherd  Kings,  whose  rule  extended  over 
many  centuries.  They  were  probably  Sem- 
ites, judging  by  their  name,  which  means 
"Princes  of  the  Deserts"  —  simply  Arabs; 
indeed  the  scarab  of  one  Hyksos  Pharaoh 
reads  Jacob-El,  seeming  to  indicate  that  the 
monarch  belonged  to  the  tribe  of  Jacob,  or 
that  the  Israelites  may  have  been  desert  or 
Bedouin  allies  of  the  Shepherd  Kings.  Their 
capital  was  in  the  north  at  Zoan,  the  classical 
Tanis,  now  known  as  San. 

In  contemporary  Babylon,  Hammurabi,  an 
early  king  of  the  First  Dynasty,  is  also 
thought  to  have  been  of  Arab  origin,  many 


290     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

royal  names  of  that  dynasty  being  Arabic 
in  form.  From  this  coincidence  Messrs.  Hall 
and  King  surmise  that  possibly  in  the  period 
just  preceding  2000  B.  c.  some  great  migra- 
tory wave  from  Arabia  had  surged  over  Bab- 
ylon, Palestine  and  the  Egyptian  Delta,  leav- 
ing the  Hyksos  established  on  the  Lower 
Nile,  and  kindred  tribes,  of  whom  Hammu- 
rabi is  a  descendant,  in  possession  of  the 
Babylonian  Euphrates.  Although  thus  early 
there  may  have  been  intercourse  between 
Egypt  and  Babylon,  as  there  certainly  was 
between  Egypt  and  Crete,  of  it  we  have  no 
evidence. 

After  the  expulsion  of  the  Hyksos,  how- 
ever, we  find  that  from  being  a  provincial 
people  Egypt  had  suddenly  broadened  her 
sympathies,  and  come  into  touch  with  many 
nations  beyond  her  borders.  The  Hyksos,  of 
whom  so  little  is  known,  had  understood  and 
taught  Egypt  the  handling  of  large  forces, 
and  had  introduced  the  horse  and  chariot  into 
the  country;  the  use  of  cavalry,  however, 
came  later.  In  their  Syrian  campaigns  the 
Egyptians  had  already  obtained  a  knowledge 
of  war  tactics  and  strategic  manoeuvres;  and 
to  their  spear  and  bow  had  added  a  battle 
axe.  With  the  arts  acquired  from  the  Hyk- 
sos the  Egyptians  in  turn  rose,  conquered  the 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     291 

Semites,  took  possession  of  Palestine  and 
Syria,  and  for  five  hundred  years  compelled 
both  Assyria  and  Babylon  to  pay  tribute  to 
the  Pharaoh.  Thus  did  Egypt  enter  upon 
the  world  arena,  her  empire  extending  to  the 
far  Euphrates. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  Eighteenth  Dy- 
nasty all  Egypt  was  the  personal  property 
of  the  Pharaoh,  and  the  tax  amounted  to  one- 
fifth  the  yield  of  the  crops,  —  a  condition  of 
affairs  attributed,  by  Hebrew  Scriptures,  to 
the  foresight  of  the  patriarch  Joseph,  who 
had  held  the  position  of  Grand  Vizier  at  the 
Egyptian  court,  and  was  the  first  financier 
to  effect  a  corner  on  wheat. 

Amenhotep  I  was  the  last  monarch  to  erect 
a  Pyramid  tomb.  It  now  became  the  custom 
to  excavate  sepulchral  vaults  in  the  cliffs  west 
of  Thebes.  Thutmose  I,  with  the  tribute 
taken  from  Syria  and  Palestine,  began  to 
rebuild  the  Theban  temples  overthrown  by 
the  Hyksos  kings.  Finding  that  many  of 
the  royal  sarcophagi  had  been  rifled,  Thut- 
mose inaugurated  a  more  secret  system  of 
burial.  He  continued  the  building  of  the 
funeral  chapel  on  the  western  cliffs  fronting 
the  Nile,  but  made  the  approach  to  the  long 
gallery  and  mortuary  chamber  from  the  hot 
little  valley  hidden  behind  the  ridge,  thus 


292     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

leaving  the  depth  of  the  mountain  between 
temple  and  tomb.  The  mummies  of  forty- 
one  Theban  sovereigns  were  thus  secreted  in 
the  Valley  of  the  Tombs  of  the  Kings. 

At  his  death  Hatshepsut  being  next  in 
royal  descent,  was  able  with  her  party  to 
over-rule  the  Thutmoses  II  and  III,  who 
were  of  humble  origin,  and  to  have  herself 
proclaimed  queen.  Hatshepsut  at  once  be- 
gan the  splendid  mortuary  temple  of  Der 
el-Bahiri,  high  on  the  western  cliffs,  and 
adorned  its  three  spacious  terraces  with 
stately  colonnades  of  exquisite  proportions. 
To  furnish  rare  plants  and  shrubs  of  fragrant 
myrrh,  for  the  temple  terraces  Queen  Hat- 
shepsut sent  to  Punt  the  famous  expedition, 
which  is  depicted  in  detail  on  the  walls  of  her 
temple. 

Hatshepsut,  the  Cleopatra  of  her  day,  is 
the  first  woman  famous  in  history  for  the 
achievement  of  great  deeds.  Heir  to  a  wide 
empire  extending  from  the  Third  Cataract  to 
the  Euphrates,  she  began  at  once  to  beautify 
it  with  magnificent  buildings.  According  to 
custom,  she  celebrated  the  Jubilee  of  her  thir- 
tieth anniversary  of  appointment  to  the 
throne  by  erecting  at  Karnak  two  obelisks, 
higher  than  any  before  hewn  in  Egypt,  she 
herself  measuring  out  by  the  pound  the  costly 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     293 

electrum  necessary  for  the  gilding  of  their 
tops.  To  make  room  for  these  giant  mono- 
liths she  removed  the  splendid  cedar  columns, 
and  tore  down  the  walls  and  roof  of  the  mag- 
nificent hall,  constructed  by  her  father,  Thut- 
mose  I. 

When  Thutmose  III  finally  came  to  the 
throne  he  destroyed  the  images  of  his  hated 
half-sister,  chiseled  away  her  name  from  tem- 
ple and  pylon,  and,  engraving  his  cartouche 
on  these  monuments,  appropriated  them  him- 
self. Thutmose  even  covered  the  Queen's 
name  on  the  base  of  her  obelisk  with  a  lying 
sheath  of  masonry.  Centuries  later  the  mor- 
tar fell  away  and  disclosed  the  name  of  the 
true  builder. 

The  new  Pharaoh  was  strenuous  and  war- 
like, with  small  taste  for  ceremonial  pomp; 
he  arrived  at  Thebes  on  the  eve  of  his  coro- 
nation, and  early  next  morning  took  the  road 
again  for  Palestine.  Eager  to  establish  his 
power,  he  began  by  quelling  the  revolts  in 
distant  provinces. 

Crossing  the  plain  of  Sharon  he  encamped 
on  the  south  side  of  Carmel.  Three  routes 
lay  before  him  by  which  to  reach  Esdraelon. 
With  the  impetuosity  of  a  Caesar,  and  against 
the  advice  of  his  generals,  he  chose  the  short- 
est, —  a  narrow  mountain  pass.  Fortunately 


294     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

for  him  his  army  was  able  to  file  through,  and 
re-assemble  on  the  plain  of  Esdraelon,  south 
of  Megiddo,  before  their  presence  was  discov- 
ered by  the  enemy.  At  dawn  the  following 
day  Thutmose  in  his  shining  chariot  of  elec- 
trum  gave  battle :  '  The  king  himself,  he  led 
the  way  of  his  army,  mighty  at  its  head,  like 
a  flame  of  fire."  The  opposing  forces  broke, 
and  fled  at  the  first  onslaught,  abandoning  a 
rich  spoil  of  tents,  weapons,  and  chariots  of 
silver  and  gold.  Escaping  within  their  city, 
they  closed  the  gates  of  Megiddo  against 
Thutmose,  their  friends  letting  down  scarfs 
to  haul  the  belated  up  over  the  walls.  '  Their 
champions  lay  stretched  out  like  fishes  on  the 
ground."  Thutmose  then  cut  down  the  sur- 
rounding groves,  and  built  a  stockade  about 
the  city.  In  a  few  weeks  the  Megiddese  were 
starved  into  surrendering.  The  conqueror  ac- 
cepted their  submission,  and  granted  them 
life  and  liberty.  The  Egyptians  were  never 
guilty  of  the  cruelty  practised  by  the  Assyr- 
ians, who  slaughtered  whole  cities. 

Thutmose  III  placed  governors  over  the 
conquered  towns,  but  took  back  with  him,  as 
hostages,  those  viceroys'  oldest  sons,  to  be 
placed  in  guarded  Theban  castles,  and  care- 
fully educated.  Later  these  youths  were  sent 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     295 

to  succeed  their  fathers,  and  usually  remained 
loyal  to  the  crown. 

Seventeen  campaigns,  to  establish  and  ex- 
tend his  kingdom,  this  Alexander  of  Egypt 
conducted  within  nineteen  years.  One  by  one 
he  annexed  the  coast  cities,  and  left  them 
garrisoned  and  provisioned,  as  bases  for  suc- 
ceeding wars.  Leading  his  army  in  person 
Thutmose  would  appear  as  if  by  magic,  wher- 
ever there  was  rebellion,  before  the  enemy 
could  organize.  His  power  was  felt  on  sea 
as  well.  Equipping  a  fleet  this  Pharaoh 
swept  the  Mediterranean,  and  exacted  tribute 
frpm  Syria,  Cyprus,  and  Lebanon.  Conquer- 
ing Aleppo,  Thutmose  set  up  his  boundary 
tablet  on  the  far  northern  bank  of  the  Eu- 
phrates, while  at  the  same  time  he  sent  other 
expeditions  south  into  Nubia  to  hold  that  land 
in  fief. 

Most  of  the  important  tombs  of  the  Third 
Thutmose's  time  contain  frescoes  of  proces- 
sions of  men  from  various  countries  bearing 
gifts  to  the  Egyptian  Pharaoh;  the  North 
represented  by  Semites,  the  South  by  Ethio- 
pians, the  East  by  people  from  Punt,  and 
lastly  and  most  important  of  all,  the  West  by 
Keftiu  from  Cyprus  and  Crete.  The  coun- 
terpart of  these  Keftiu  have  lately  been  dis- 


296     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

covered  at  Knossus,  and  Phaistos  in  Crete, 
among  the  frescoes  on  the  walls  of  the  pal- 
aces and  temples  of  King  Minos,  the  sover- 
eign who  sent  these  ambassadors  to  Egypt. 

The  Keftiu  of  the  Egyptian  tombs  are 
readily  identified  by  their  peculiar  costume,  - 
high  boots  and  ornamented  kilt,  and  particu- 
larly by  their  coiffure,  —  long  locks  partly 
falling  down  the  back,  and  partly  plaited  and 
knotted  on  top  the  head.  It  is  noteworthy 
that  one  man  carries  the  dagger  of  the  early 
Bronze  Age  of  Europe.  Their  gifts  likewise 
are  distinctively  Mycenaean,  cups  and  ewers 
of  gold  and  silver,  identical  in  design  with 
those  recently  dug  up  in  Crete.  Not  only  in 
costume  and  head-dress,  but  in  face  and  form, 
do  these  frescoes  resemble  that  of  the  Cretan 
cup-bearer,  uncovered  in  the  Knossian  Pal- 
ace of  King  Minos. 

Moreover  the  hieroglyphics  of  Crete,  al- 
though they  still  await  an  interpreter,  are 
found  to  resemble  in  many  ways  those  of 
Egypt. 

The  above  facts,  taken  in  connection  with 
similar  corroborative  discoveries  of  the  period 
of  the  Twelfth  Dynasty,  prove  the  existence 
of  a  well  established  intercourse  between 
Egypt  and  Crete,  as  early  as  the  Twelfth 
Dynasty,  and  a  probably  still  more  intimate 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     297 

communication  during  the  Eighteenth  Dy- 
nasty. 

These  Keftiu  of  the  fifteenth  century 
B.  c.  were  pre-historic  Greeks  or  Pelasgi, 
Crete  being  at  that  time  part  of  Greece. 
The  intense  interest  of  these  frescoes  there- 
fore is  the  light  they  throw  on  the  beginnings 
of  modern  European  civilization;  proving,  as 
they  do,  that  our  artistic  ancestors,  the 
Greeks,  the  guardians  of  ancient  culture,  de- 
rived that  culture,  not  from  the  Assyrians, 
the  Semites,  nor  yet  from  the  Egyptians  — 
as  was  long  thought  —  but  from  the  earlier 
inhabitants  of  Greece,  the  pre-Hellenes  or 
Pelasgi,  the  Mycensean  Greeks  or  Minoans, 
the  Keftiu  of  the  Egyptian  frescoes.  These 
were  the  Greeks  of  the  Heroic  Age  and  of 
the  Trojan  War. 

With  the  Nineteenth  Dynasty,  however, 
the  Keftiu  disappeared  from  Egyptian  rec- 
ords, their  kingdom  being  probably  over- 
thrown. Instead,  we  read  of  various  turbu- 
lent sea-faring  tribes,  whose  names  many  ar- 
chaeologists identify  with  those  of  prominent 
Greeks  —  the  Achaians,  etc.  Moreover,  re- 
cent excavations  in  Palestine,  which  was 
named  by  the  Philistines,  and  held  by  them 
two  hundred  years,  reveal  traces  of  Myce- 
naean culture,  and  thus  establish  the  truth  of 


298     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

the  Philistine  tradition  of  an  emigration  from 
Crete,  occurring,  doubtless,  on  the  disinte- 
gration of  the  kingdom  of  King  Minos.  Go- 
liath, the  champion  of  the  Philistines,  was 
then  a  Greek,  a  Pelasgian  from  Crete. 

Such  are  the  inferences  to  be  deduced  from 
the  tomb  paintings,  made  in  1500  B.  c.  and 
preserved  to  modern  times  by  the  marvellous 
dryness  of  the  Egyptian  atmosphere. 

But  to  return:  On  his  thirtieth  anniversary 
of  accession  Thutmose  III  celebrated  the 
usual  jubilee,  erecting  at  Karnak  the  regula- 
tion pair  of  obelisks,  feasting  the  Egyptians 
for  weeks,  and  dividing  among  the  populace 
the  rich  spoils  of  many  conquests.  Between 
battles  this  strenuous  monarch  occasionally  al- 
lowed himself  the  diversion  of  an  elephant 
hunt.  Once,  when  engaged  in  this  sport,  he 
was  attacked  by  an  infuriated  beast,  from 
which  he  was  barely  rescued  by  a  brave  gen- 
eral, who,  rushing  in,  cut  off  the  tusks  of  the 
animal,  and  then  hastily  hid  between  two 
boulders  before  the  monster  could  injure  him. 

The  hardy  king  was  seventy  years  of  age 
when  he  engaged  in  his  final  campaign,  dur- 
ing which  he  destroyed  Kadesh,  the  last 
stronghold  of  the  Shepherd  Kings.  With  this 
defeat  the  name  of  Hyksos  disappears  from 
history. 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     299 

In  1447  B.  c.  passed  from  earth  this  first 
"  world  -  hero,"  Thutmose,  the  builder  of 
earth's  earliest  empire. 

Amenhotep  III,  the  greatest  monarch  of 
the  Eighteenth  Dynasty,  came  to  the  throne 
forty  years  later.  He  extended  his  dominion 
as  far  south  as  the  Fourth  Cataract,  while 
in  the  north  Babylon  acknowledged  his  au- 
thority over  Canaan,  and  all  the  potentates 
of  western  Asia  sought  the  friendship  of  the 
Pharaoh.  From  the  ruins  of  Tell  el-Amarna 
have  been  resurrected  more  than  three  hun- 
dred letters,  written  on  cuneiform  tablets  of 
clay,  many  of  them  dating  from  this  reign; 
these  letters  pertain  to  matters  of  state,  and 
are  from  Nineveh,  Cyprus,  and  Babylon,  and 
from  the  Egyptian  governors  of  Syria  and 
Palestine. 

Amenhotep  further  bound  the  King  of  Bab- 
ylon to  his  interests  by  taking  that  monarch's 
daughter  in  marriage  and  by  the  exchange  of 
elaborate  presents.  The  chief  consort,  how- 
ever, and  the  one  whom  the  king  delighted 
to  honour  above  all  his  queens  of  royal  blood, 
was  a  woman  of  humble  origin,  the  renowned 
Queen  Thiy,  whose  rich  tomb  has  been  re- 
cently discovered,  January  9,  1907,  by  Mr. 
Theodore  Davis  of  Newport,  Rhode  Island. 
This  discovery  archaeologists  consider  the  most 


300     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

important  ever  made,  because  of  the  number 
and  variety  of  objects  found,  and  the  addi- 
tional facts  disclosed  bearing  on  the  great 
Eighteenth  Dynasty.  The  rank  of  the  royal 
lady  may  be  judged  by  the  costly  appoint- 
ments of  her  splendid  sepulchre;  not  only 
are  the  urns,  statuettes  and  personal  adorn- 
ments of  gold,  but  even  the  nails  of  the  or- 
nate coffin  are  of  the  same  precious  metal. 

In  1905  Mr.  Davis  had  previously  found 
the  tomb  of  Thiy's  parents.  Her  mother  was 
a  pure  Egyptian,  while  her  father  loua,  Su- 
perintendent of  Temple  Cattle,  had  that  Sem- 
itic type  of  feature  peculiar  to  men  of  north 
Syrian  origin.  To  loua's  initiative,  no  doubt, 
and  to  his  royal  daughter's  powerful  support, 
may  be  ascribed  the  introduction  of  the  wor- 
ship of  the  genial  Aton,  the  brilliant  sun  god 
of  Syria  and  Palestine.  By  being  identified 
with  the  revered  Re,  heretofore  associated 
with  the  austere  Amon,  the  foreign  Aton- 
Rays  of  the  Sun  —  was  more  readily  placed 
in  their  pantheon,  and  his  cult  foisted  upon 
the  Egyptian  people.  It  was  not,  however, 
until  the  succeeding  reign  that  the  new  god 
attained  any  great  vogue.  While  adopting 
the  new  deity,  the  impartial  Amenhotep  at 
the  same  time  continued  loyal  to  the  gods  of 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     301 

his  fathers,  and  on  their  shrines  bestowed  still 
further  favours. 

A  new  order  of  architecture  was  originated 
by  this  Pharaoh,  who  built  at  Luxor  vast  pil- 
lared halls,  with  higher  central  aisle  of  taller 
columns,  the  roof  of  the  nave  being  raised 
above  the  lower  ceilings  of  the  side  aisles  by 
walls,  pierced  with  grated  windows  —  the 
veritable  prototype  of  Roman  basilica  and 
Renaissance  cathedral,  even  including  the 
clerestory;  and  all  this  was  wrought  fourteen 
hundred  years  before  our  era  —  a  far  cry  to 
the  famed  forum  of  the  Csesars.  Moreover, 
in  front  of  the  temple,  this  monarch  con- 
structed a  magnificent  forecourt,  the  colon- 
nades of  which  are  to-day  the  finest  extant 
in  Egypt.  The  mile  and  a  half  space  be- 
tween Luxor  and  Karnak  the  king  converted 
into  a  beautiful  garden,  intersected  with  ave- 
nues of  granite  rams  couchant.  At  Karnak 
he  added  a  vast  pylon,  stelae  of  lapis-lazuli 
and  gold,  and  glittering  obelisks  tipped  with 
electrum.  And  on  the  western  bank  of  the 
Nile  Amenhotep  erected  a  still  more  mag- 
nificent mortuary  chapel,  its  floors  and  gates 
likewise  overwrought  with  precious  metal. 

Before  this  splendid  shrine  he  set  up,  on 
lofty  thrones,  with  diminutive  figures  of 


302     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

Queen  Thiy  beside  each  gigantic  leg,  the  two 
mighty  seated  Colossi  —  the  Memnoni  of  his 
majesty,  intended  to  endure  until  time  should 
be  no  longer;  but  "  He  breaketh  the  proud 
in  sunder! "  Cracked  and  broken  are  now 
these  images!  their  temples  vanished  utterly! 
Beyond  these  crumbling  monuments  lie  frag- 
ments of  the  once  splendid  sandstone  stela, 
thirty  feet  in  height,  formerly  covered  with 
gold  and  studded  with  gems,  which  tablet  had 
marked  the  "  Station  of  the  Pharaoh  "  in  his 
royal  shrine.  On  it  were  graven  these  words: 
"  My  majesty  has  done  these  things  for  mil- 
lions of  years,  and  I  know  that  they  will  abide 
on  the  earth." 

Behind  the  temple  near  the  cliffs  was  the 
imperial  palace;  its  walls  without  glistening 
with  glazed  tiles  of  deepest  blue;  and  all  gor- 
geous within  with  pictured  tapestry.  Here 
the  king  supped  sumptuously  every  day,  from 
vessels  of  gold  and  silver,  and  on  the  lake 
which  he  had  constructed  beside  the  palace  of 
his  favourite  wife,  Amenhotep  and  Queen 
Thiy  sailed  in  her  royal  barge,  "  Beauties  of 
Aton."  This  was  the  Augustan  Age  of  the 
Golden  City.  An  Egyptian  Lorenzo  pre- 
sided over  magnificent  Thebes. 

Frequent  issues  of  scarabs  commemorated 
a  twelfth  coronation  anniversary,  a  wild  cattle 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     303 

chase,  and  a  lion  hunt.  Instead  of  receiving 
as  a  god  the  reverent  homage  of  his  subjects, 
Amenhotep  adopted  more  democratic  man- 
ners, both  he  and  his  family  living  largely  in 
the  public  eye.  Queen  Thiy  he  consulted  on 
all  matters  of  State,  and  her  portrait  appears 
always  in  conjunction  with  his  on  the  palace 
walls.  After  thirty-six  years  of  splendour 
Amenhotep  III  died  in  1375  B.  c.,  and  was 
laid  in  the  little  Valley  of  the  Tombs  of  the 
Kings  where,  you  remember,  we  saw  his 
mummy  reposing  in  its  sarcophagus,  —  the 
only  one  of  the  forty  odd  left  in  situ. 

Forces  had  for  some  time  been  fomenting 
to  undermine  the  power  of  the  empire.  The 
new  sovereign  Amenhotep  IV  was  not  one  to 
throttle  them.  Impractical  and  idealistic,  the 
young  king  was  strongly  influenced  by  his 
mother,  his  wife,  and  his  chosen  priest.  Phil- 
osophy fascinated  him.  Instead  of  following 
the  lead  of  former  hierarchs,  Amenhotep  IV, 
influenced  by  Thiy,  adopted  a  more  abstract 
religion,  formulated  a  simpler  creed,  and  in- 
augurated a  purer  worship  —  stamping  his 
age  with  his  own  individuality,  which  must 
needs  have  been  strong  to  overcome  the  en- 
mity of  the  powerful  priestly  party,  devoted 
to  the  cult  of  Amon. 

The   supremacy   of   the   Egyptian   empire 


304     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

over  the  then  known  world  had  given  the 
thinking  hierarchs  food  for  thought.  Their 
philosophy  had  variously  endowed  their  gods. 
Ptah,  from  being  the  god  of  builder  and 
smith,  had  come  to  be  revered  as  the  inventor 
and  maker  of  man  and  the  world:  "  the  Mind 
that  fashioned:  "  the  Word  that  was  spoken 
"  and  it  was  so."  Such,  no  doubt,  was  the 
origin  of  the  Egyptian  "  logos,"  a  doctrine 
adopted  later  by  the  Greeks. 

Dr.  Breasted  well  says  that  the  Egyptians 
reasoned  by  analogy  from  the  Pharaoh  of  an 
empire  to  a  god  of  the  world,  and  thus  ar- 
rived at  the  concept  of  a  universal  deity. 
Each  nome  widened  its  mental  horizon  to 
embrace  the  idea  of  one  single  omnipotent 
spirit,  but  each  gave  that  spirit  the  name  of 
its  most  powerful  god  —  that  of  its  local 
shrine. 

Amenhotep  IV,  however,  broke  with  relig- 
ious tradition,  and  chose  for  his  Supreme 
Deity,  the  name  of  the  new  god  Aton,  — 
signifying,  not  the  material  sun,  but  the  heat, 
the  revivifying  force  of  the  sun's  rays.  The 
sun's  disc  Ikhnaton  looked  upon  as  the  win- 
dow of  heaven  through  which  the  one  God, 
the  source  of  life  on  earth,  shed  light  and 
heat;  each  ray  was  accordingly  drawn  with 
a  hand  holding  out  the  sign  of  life. 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     305 

The  king  proclaimed  himself  High  Priest 
of  Aton,  and  built,  in  the  garden  between 
Luxor  and  Karnak,  a  temple  for  this  new 
worship.  Throughout  the  realm  the  name  of 
Amon  was  erased  from  altar  and  image,  and 
the  priests  of  Amon  driven  from  their  sanctu- 
aries. Realizing  likewise  the  inconsistency 
of  his  own  name  —  a  compound  of  Amon  — 
Amenhotep  re-christened  himself  Ikhnaton, 
Spirit  of  Aton.  Abandoning  Thebes  and  its 
vacant  fanes  he  founded  a  new  capital  at 
Tell  el-Amarna,  and  in  the  cliffs  to  the  east 
Ikhnaton  caused  to  be  excavated  a  new  ne- 
cropolis with  tombs  for  his  favourites.  On 
the  walls  of  their  sepulchres  he  had  pictured, 
in  natural  manner,  the  lives  of  these  nobles; 
nor  were  such  frescoes  longer  disfigured  with 
images  of  magic  and  demons. 

Two  hymns,  exquisite  in  sentiment,  one, 
strangely  resembling  the  104th  Hebrew 
Psalm,  were  composed  by  this  monarch,  and 
inscribed  on  the  tombs  of  his  loyal  subjects. 
There  is  space  for  but  a  few  lines: 

"  How  manifold  are  thy  works, 
They  are  hidden  from  before  us." 

"  Oh  thou  sole  god,  beside  whom  there  is  no  other." 

The  whole  anthem  breathes  adoration  for 
one  Supreme  Creator.  The  king  had  arrived 


306     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

at  the  concept  of  one  beneficent  god  ruling 
alone  and  caring  for  all  creation,  for  fish  and 
plant  as  well  as  bird,  for  Syrian  and  Nubian 
as  well  as  Egyptian.  This  monotheistic  her- 
esy of  Ikhnaton  was  the  purest  form  attained 
by  any  pagan  religion  before  the  days  of  the 
Hebrew  prophets.  Sincere  in  his  search  for 
the  absolute,  Ikhnaton  always  subscribed  to 
his  signature  the  words  "  living  in  truth," 
and  even  in  art  insisted  on  being  portrayed, 
not  in  the  stiff  stilted  pose  of  former  Pha- 
raohs, but  in  the  natural  attitude  of  a  normal 
man.  Artist  and  sculptor  did  their  best,  but 
the  reliefs  show  that  the  legs  of  their  royal 
model  were  quite  beyond  their  art. 

Ikhnaton  was  far  in  advance  of  his  age; 
the  people  understood  not  the  subtleties  of 
this  new  religion.  During  the  last  years  of 
his  reign  troubles  began  to  gather  on  the 
political  horizon,  and  even  before  his  death 
the  Hittites,  those  traditional  enemies,  had 
begun  to  capture  the  coast  towns  and  to  in- 
vade Syrio-Palestine. 

Having  no  son,  Ikhnaton  had  appointed 
one  of  his  sons-in-law  successor.  However, 
fortunately  for  Egypt,  Harmhab,  an  able 
general,  seized  the  throne  and  kept  the  king- 
dom from  disintegrating.  To  legitimatize  his 
claim  Harmhab  had  himself  crowned  by  a 


FROM   CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     307 

priest  of  Amon  and  then  proceeded  to  the 
palace  where  he  was  proclaimed  husband  of 
the  elderly  sister  of  Ikhnaton's  queen.  He 
won  the  support  of  the  dispossessed  priest- 
hood by  re-instating  the  worship  of  Amon 
and  by  destroying,  not  only  the  temples  of 
Aton,  but  the  tomb  of  Ikhnaton  as  well.  He 
even  went  so  far  as  to  obliterate  the  name 
of  the  reformer,  who  is  hereafter  referred  to 
in  Egyptian  chronicles  as  "  that  criminal." 

Harmhab  re-organized  the  army  and  the 
government.  His  famous  edict  —  the  most 
important  preserved  from  ancient  Egypt  — 
was  especially  designed  to  control  the  cupid- 
ity of  tax  collectors  and  kindred  officials,  and 
prevent  their  oppression  of  the  poor. 

Although  the  tomb  of  Harmhab,  erected  at 
Sakkarah,  has  long  been  destroyed,  its  frag- 
ments enrich  a  half  dozen  museums  of  Eu- 
rope. That  in  Vienna  depicts  a  band  of 
starving  exiles  from  Asia  being  led  by  an 
officer  before  Harmhab,  then  general.  The 
fugitives  beg  a  home  in  Egypt  "  after  the 
manner  of  your  father's  fathers,  since  the 
beginning."  Such  petition  proves  Abraham's 
sojourn  in  Egypt  to  have  been  but  a  single 
instance  of  Asiatic  Beduins  being  permitted 
to  establish  colonies  along  the  Nile. 

Seti  I  subdued  Jezreel  and  Palestine,  took 


308     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

Tyre  and  the  adjacent  ports  on  which  he 
levied  a  tribute  of  Lebanon  logs  for  the  flag- 
staffs  and  sacred  barge  of  the  temple  of  Kar- 
nak.  Under  this  Pharaoh  Egypt  fought  her 
first  recorded  battle  with  the  Hittites,  after 
which  the  two  nations  concluded  a  treaty. 
Peace  being  assured,  Seti  then  devoted  him- 
self to  restoring  the  shrines,  and  erecting  a 
temple  at  Kurna.  An  inscription  on  the  cliffs 
of  the  Silsileh  quarry  records  that  to  every 
one  of  its  thousand  labourers  the  Pharaoh 
gave  a  daily  ration  of  four  pounds  of  bread, 
two  bundles  of  vegetables  and  a  roast  of  meat, 
with  two  fresh  linen  garments  a  month. 

The  necropolis  of  el-Ga'ab,  long  neglected 
and  forgotten,  and  containing  the  tombs  of 
the  most  ancient  kings,  had  been  re-located 
only  a  short  time  previous  to  the  accession  of 
Seti  I;  the  sepulchre  of  King  Khent  being 
wrongly  identified  as  that  of  the  god  Khent- 
amenti  Osiris,  lord  of  Abydos.  Thinking  he 
had  recovered  the  lost  tomb  of  the  divine 
Osiris,  whom  the  Egyptians  also  regarded  as 
an  early  king,  Seti  caused  to  be  placed  in  this 
sepulchre  a  great  stone  image  of  the  god 
lying  on  a  bier  and  guarded  by  the  hawks 
Isis  and  Nephthys.  Here  at  Abydos  Seti 
erected  a  vast  seven  shrine  temple,  the  central 
chapel  sacred  to  Amon,  with  Osiris,  Isis  and 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     309 

Horus  on  the  right,  and  on  the  left,  altars 
for  Herakhte,  Ptah  and  King  Seti  himself. 
By  pylon  and  causeway  he  connected  his  new 
temple  with  the  tombs  of  the  ancient  kings, 
and  on  an  alabaster  tablet  set  in  the  wall  of 
the  sanctuary  he  inscribed  the  names  of  these 
early  Pharaohs,  with  a  relief  of  himself  and 
his  son,  later  Ramses  II,  offering  homage  to 
their  royal  manes. 

The  art  of  ancient  Egypt  reached  its  cli- 
max of  Cyclopean  effort  during  the  reign  of 
this  Pharaoh.  Although  lacking  the  elegant 
proportions  of  Eighteenth  Dynasty  architec- 
ture, Seti's  great  hall  at  Karnak  is  acknowl- 
edged the  most  stupendous  group  of  granite 
columns  ever  raised  by  human  hand,  and  un- 
surpassed for  massive  grandeur.  The  sculp- 
tured battle  scenes  of  the  period  are  the  fin- 
est extant;  the  reliefs  on  the  walls  of  Seti's 
tomb  west  of  Thebes  are  likewise  of  first 
rank,  while  the  sepulchre  itself  exceeds  in  size 
and  splendour  that  of  any  of  his  predecessors, 
and  extends  nearly  500  feet  into  the  heart 
of  the  hills. 

At  his  death  a  younger  son  seized  the 
throne  and  reigned  as  Ramses  II.  To  ingra- 
tiate himself  with  the  nation,  the  new  king 
began  by  completing  the  temple  at  Abydos 
on  which  is  a  long  inscription  to  the  following 


310     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

effect:  :<  The  gifts  and  income  set  aside  by 
Seti  for  the  service  and  feasts  of  his  mortuary 
temple  are  confirmed  by  Ramses,  who  prom- 
ises to  continue  their  maintenance  as  long  as 
he  lives.  Seti  is  implored  to  intercede  with 
the  gods  for  long  life  for  his  dutiful  son, 
which  blessing  Ramses  reminds  his  defunct 
parent  will  reciprocate  to  the  latter's  advan- 
tage. Seti  replies  that  an  eternal  reign  is 
decreed  for  Ramses." 

The  Pharaoh  then  turned  his  attention  to 
enlarging  his  empire.  Dividing  his  army 
into  four  regiments  —  each  named  for  a  god 
—  Ramses  pushed  northward  into  Palestine, 
intent  on  punishing  Metalla,  King  of  the  Hit- 
tites.  Hurrying  forward,  even  ahead  of  the 
first  division,  —  that  of  Amon,  —  the  Pharaoh 
presently  found  himself  alone  with  his  few 
household  guards,  crowded  close  to  the  river 
bank,  and  attacked  by  the  whole  Hittite 
army.  With  a  strength  born  of  desperation, 
Ramses  here  fought  his  famous  single-handed 
fight,  overthrowing  a  score  or  more  of  princes, 
and  even  casting  the  King  of  Aleppo  into  the 
river  Orontes,  whence  he  was  rescued  by 
friends  on  the  farther  bank.  Reinforcements 
were  long  in  arriving.  The  Hittites  discov- 
ering his  tent,  dropped  their  weapons  to  di- 
vide the  spoils  of  Ramses'  camp,  and  being 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     311 

taken  off  guard  by  the  cunning  Egyptians, 
were  driven  back  to  Kadesh. 

Large  reliefs,  illustrating  with  elaborate 
detail  this  royal  episode  of  the  battle,  and 
setting  forth  with  fulsome  flattery  the  valour 
of  the  king,  adorn  the  walls  of  many  temples 
of  this  epoch.  Here  too  are  given  long  lists 
of  the  princes  overcome  by  Ramses,  "  while 
he  was  alone,  having  no  army  with  him  "  — 
no  mention  being  made,  however,  of  his  rash- 
ness in  inviting  defeat,  by  separating  himself 
from  his  troops.  No  such  ambitious  relief 
occurs  in  Oriental  sculpture  for  the  next  six 
hundred  years. 

The  royal  rescue  at  Kadesh  was  the  subject 
of  numerous  poems  also.  Tradition  poetic- 
ally makes  the  Pharaoh  vow  that  only  the 
royal  hand  shall  feed  the  noble  steeds  here- 
after that  drew  the  imperial  chariot  in  that 
memorable  battle.  Literature,  however,  was 
at  low  ebb,  being  comprised  mostly  of  tales 
and  formal  hymns  —  lifeless  compositions  de- 
void of  imagination. 

The  priests  of  Amon  had  now  grown  so 
powerful  that  the  chief  hierarch  was  able  to 
appoint  his  own  son  as  his  successor.  Men 
were  conscious  of  sin,  and  prayed  to  their 
gods,  "  Punish  me  not  for  my  sins,"  but  their 
ideas  of  ethics  and  morals  were  faint  and 


312     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

confused,  obscured  by  a  mist  of  magic,  in- 
tended to  avert  the  consequences  of  crime. 
Animal  worship  —  a  late  cult  —  arose  at  this 
juncture,  and  was  practised  by  both  priest 
and  people. 

In  three  years  Ramses  re-conquered  Pales- 
tine, and  during  fifteen  years  he  successfully 
defended  his  empire.  This  same  Ramses 
caused  to  be  built  the  "  Store-city  "  Pithom 
—  where  the  children  of  Israel  toiled  under 
their  hard  taskmasters.  It  is  not  unlikely, 
says  Dr.  Breasted,  that  there  were  many  He- 
brew slaves  in  Egypt,  and  very  possibly  some 
Hebrew  tribe  may  have  fled  to  avoid  con- 
script labour,  and  have  escaped  over  the  un- 
guarded southern  end  of  the  Suez  Isthmus, 
below  the  northern  line  of  fortresses. 

There  were  many  foreign  colonies  dwelling 
in  Egypt  at  that  time;  among  others  a  com- 
pany of  Phoenicians,  who  were  allowed  their 
own  gods  and  temples.  Moreover,  the  Egyp- 
tian papyri  of  the  Nineteenth  Dynasty  con- 
tain many  Semitic  words  which  do  not  occur 
in  Hebrew  Scripture  till  four  or  five  centuries 
later. 

In  the  twenty-first  year  of  his  reign  Ram- 
ses II  effected  a  treaty  with  the  Hittites  - 
the  first  international  covenant  ever  recorded, 
and  one  long  observed.     Thirteen  years  after 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     313 

its  inauguration  the  Hittite  ruler  visited 
Egypt  to  celebrate  the  marriage  of  his  daugh- 
ter with  this  Pharaoh.  The  royal  city  was 
then  located  at  Tanis  in  the  Delta,  and  a  co- 
lossal statue  ninety  feet  high  of  Ramses  II 
adorned  the  capital. 

Many  jubilees  marked  by  obelisks  were 
celebrated  during  this  exceptionally  long 
reign,  fourteen  such  monoliths  being  set  up 
at  Tanis.  In  Nubia  Ramses  caused  to  rise 
from  the  sands  the  wonderful  shrine  of  Abu- 
Simbel,  and  there  he  and  his  Queen  Nefretiri 
were  worshipped  as  gods.  At  Abydos  Ram- 
ses added  a  temple,  and  in  Thebes  he  raised 
the  splendid  Ramesseum,  and  completed  the 
great  Karnak  Hall,  the  slab  across  its  splen- 
did portal  being  forty  feet  long.  The  stu- 
pendous size  of  the  structure  makes  one  over- 
look the  lack  of  perfect  proportion,  in  which 
the  works  of  the  preceding  dynasty  excel. 
Many  other  monuments,  hastily  wrought  and 
of  coarse,  heavy  design,  owe  their  origin  to 
this  prolific  builder. 

Thus  in  the  past  have  the  hieroglyphics  of 
Egypt  glorified  Ramses  II:  a  closer  exam- 
ination of  these  same  stones  by  recent  archae- 
ologists, however,  has  finally  disclosed  the 
deception  practised  by  this  boastful  monarch, 
whose  real  character  is  now  at  last  revealed; 


314     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

instead  of  being  the  greatest  potentate,  he  is 
proven  the  greatest  pilferer.  So  insatiate  was 
his  thirst  for  fame  that  he  hesitated  not  to 
rob  his  royal  ancestors  of  statues  and  stelse; 
erasing  the  names  of  former  Pharaohs,  he 
substituted  his  own  on  their  buildings;  in 
other  instances  he  simply  turned  inward  the 
side  of  the  slab  originally  inscribed,  and  had 
his  own  name  chiseled  afresh,  as  author,  on 
the  now  outward  obverse  side  of  the  stone. 
Thus  did  Ramses  II,  to  the  wonderment  of 
modern  historians,  effect  a  Monument  Trust 
in  Egypt,  the  graft  of  which  monopoly  the 
sifting  scrutiny  of  modern  scholars  has  only 
just  disclosed. 

During  his  long  reign  of  67  years  Ram- 
ses II  acquired  a  harem  as  large  as  a  regi- 
ment; and  his  progeny,  long  lines  of  whom 
he  delighted  to  have  chiseled  on  the  walls  of 
his  temples,  were  sufficiently  numerous  to  fur- 
nish the  throne  with  occupants  for  the  next 
four  hundred  years.  His  thirty  years'  jubilee, 
and  the  repeated  festivals  of  the  succeeding 
twenty  years,  Ramses  celebrated  with  a  splen- 
dour surpassing  even  that  of  Amenhotep  IV 
"  The  Magnificent." 

During  the  last  decade  of  his  reign,  how- 
ever, the  Libyan  and  ^Egean  races  from  over- 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     315 

seas  made  their  first  invasion  of  the  western 
Delta,  and  penetrated  as  far  south  as  Mem- 
phis, but  the  aged  monarch  had  not  strength 
to  resist  them.  Ramses  II  died  in  the  year 
1225  B.  c.  at  the  age  of  ninety,  after  occupy- 
ing the  throne  nearly  three  score  years  and 
ten. 

One  after  another,  twelve  of  his  sons  had 
died,  and  Merneptah,  the  thirteenth,  was  al- 
ready an  old  man,  when  he  succeeded  Ram- 
ses. Palestine  again  revolted,  and  was  again 
subdued.  The  Libyans  and  the  white  races 
from  Europe  crossed  a  second  time  to  Egypt, 
and  were  a  second  time  driven  out,  leaving 
nine  thousand  of  their  number  slain  on  the 
black  sands  of  the  Delta.  The  first  mention 
of  Israel  as  a  nation  known  in  literature  — 
not  including  the  Hebrew  Scriptures  —  is 
found  in  Merneptah's  Song  of  Triumph: 

"  The  kings  are  overthrown,  saying  «  Salem  ! ' 
Not  one  holds  up  his  head  among  the  nine  nations  of  the  bow. 
Wasted  is  Tehenu, 
The  Hittite  land  is  pacified, 
Plundered  is  the  Canaan,  with  every  evil. 

Israel  is  desolated,  his  seed  is  not, 

Palestine  has  become  a  (defenceless)  widow  for  Egypt. 

All  hands  are  united,  they  are  pacified  ; 

Every  one  that  is  turbulent  is  bound  by  King  Merneptah." 


316     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

"  Their  seed  is  not,"  was  the  usual  expres- 
sion applied  to  a  defeated  nation,  and  has  no 
especial  reference  to  the  slaying  of  male  chil- 
dren, says  Dr.  Breasted. 

Merneptah  reigned  but  ten  years.  Having 
no  time  to  construct  a  mortuary  chapel  of  his 
own,  he  laid  violent  hands  on  the  stately 
sanctuary  of  Amenhotep  III,  and  appropri- 
ated its  fine  slabs  for  his  own  sepulchre.  Mer- 
neptah died  about  1215  B.  c.,  and  was  buried 
in  the  Valley  of  the  Tombs  of  the  Kings, 
where  his  mummy  has  been  found  by  modern 
archaeologists,  its  preservation  disquieting 
those  Hebraists  who  claimed  that  this  Pha- 
raoh was  drowned  in  the  Red  Sea. 

Anarchy  followed. 

With  the  accession  of  Ramses  III  the 
Twentieth  Dynasty  began.  The  Philistines, 
as  usual,  celebrated  the  advent  of  the  new 
Pharaoh  by  pouring  south  like  a  flood  over 
Syria  and  northern  Egypt;  "  They  laid  their 
hands  upon  the  land  as  far  as  the  circle  of 
the  earth."  Ramses,  although  his  army  was 
now  largely  composed  of  mercenaries,  was 
able  to  defeat  Philistine  and  Hittite,  and  of 
the  latter  we  read  no  more  in  the  annals  of 
Egypt. 

The  Pharaoh's  fleet  likewise  captured  that 
of  the  Phoenicians,  who  learned  from  their 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     317 

conqueror  the  priceless  art  of  writing  on  pa- 
pyrus, and  before  1000  B.  c.  invented  the  al- 
phabet, which  was  quickly  adopted  by  the 
Ionian  Greeks,  and  by  them  bequeathed  to 
their  Athenian  brethren. 

To  Ramses  III  we  owe  the  Temple  of 
Medinet  Habu,  the  clumsy  form  and  careless 
finish  of  which  proclaim  the  decadence  of  art. 
His  children  and  horses  the  king  named  after 
those  of  his  renowned  grandfather  Ramses  II; 
he  likewise  imitated  that  ancestor  in  having 
a  tame  lion  run  beside  his  war  chariot. 

To  the  already  enormous  wealth  of  the  tem- 
ples Ramses  III  added  increased  revenues. 
The  Papyrus  Harris,  a  document  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  feet  long,  —  the  largest  left 
us  by  Oriental  antiquity,  —  contains  a  list, 
compiled  by  Ramses  IV,  of  the  gifts  made 
by  his  father,  the  Third  Ramses,  to  the  shrines 
of  Egypt.  The  enumeration  includes  the  in- 
herited treasure  as  well,  which  was  thus  con- 
firmed to  the  use  of  the  temples.  The  power 
of  the  priesthood  had  now  grown  so  great  as 
to  menace  that  of  the  throne  itself.  The  tem- 
ples, according  to  the  Papyrus  Harris,  owned 
107,000  slaves,  —  full  two  per  cent,  of  the 
population,  —  and  nearly  one  half  the  land  of 
Egypt.  And  still  the  king's  eyes  were  holden, 
and  he  added  yet  more  to  the  income  of  the 


318     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

monastic  bodies.  The  state  treasury  was  al- 
lowed to  go  empty  that  the  sacerdotal  store- 
house might  be  filled;  the  starving  populace 
meanwhile  climbed  the  necropolis  wall,  and 
threatened  to  raid  the  granary. 

A  period  of  intrigue  and  internecine  strife 
ensued.  The  Grand  Vizier  revolted;  Queen 
Thiy  schemed  to  secure  the  succession  for  her 
son,  but  failed,  thirty  of  the  conspirators  be- 
ing condemned  to  die  each  by  his  own  hand. 

The  High  Priest  of  Amon  seceded,  and 
with  his  temple  troops  maintained  at  Thebes 
an  independent  government.  After  Ramses 
III  a  line  of  nine  feeble  Pharaohs,  all  bearing 
the  great  name  of  Ramses,  occupied  the 
throne. 

In  the  tenth  century  B.  c.  thieves  began  to 
rob  the  imperial  tombs.  The  Pharaoh  and  the 
High  Priest  accordingly  removed  the  bodies 
of  the  First  and  Second  Ramses,  and  Seti  I 
from  the  sepulchre  of  Seti  to  that  of  Queen 
Inhapi;  other  transfers  followed  for  greater 
safety.  Records  of  the  successive  removals, 
made  during  a  period  of  150  years,  were  ha- 
stily scribbled  one  under  the  other  on  each 
coffin.  Of  all  the  Pharaohs  of  the  Eighteenth, 
Nineteenth  and  Twentieth  Dynasties  the  body 
of  one  only,  that  of  Amenhotep  II,  was  al- 
lowed to  lie  in  its  original  sarcophagus,  and 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     319 

even  that  was  despoiled  of  its  funeral  trap- 
pings. 

A  permanent  resting  place  was  finally 
found  for  the  sacred  dead  in  an  old  tomb  near 
the  Temple  of  Der  el-Bahiri.  Here  the  royal 
mummies  reposed  for  nearly  three  thousand 
years,  until  in  1871  modern  Egyptians  began 
to  ravage  the  tombs,  and  modern  archaeolo- 
gists compelled  the  vandals  to  reveal  their  dis- 
covery for  the  benefit  of  history  and  science. 

Weary  of  the  wars  and  luxury  of  their  later 
civilization,  the  Twenty-sixth  Dynasty  had 
returned  to  the  Puritan  manners  of  their 
Spartan  forefathers;  they  excavated  tombs 
at  Sakkarah,  beside  those  of  the  Fifth  and 
Sixth  Dynasties,  and  even  copied  the  delicate 
frescoes  of  the  ancient  sepulchres,  but  in  a 
clumsy  fashion,  easily  detected. 

Following  the  age  of  martial  splendour 
with  its  sense  of  security  came  the  longing 
for  a  life  of  ease  and  luxury,  and  an  attendant 
loosening  of  the  moral  fibre.  With  the  relax- 
ation of  warlike  vigour  and  vigilance  arose  a 
spirit  of  anarchy  and  greed;  and  the  power 
and  prestige  of  aged  Egypt  finally  disap- 
peared in  a  long  mediaeval  night  of  Dark 
Ages,  during  which  the  ancient  land  was  ruled 
by  Libyan  and  Nubian,  Ethiopian  and 
Assyrian.  At  length  in  525  B.  c.  Cambyses 


320     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

came,  and  converted  the  narrow  valley  of  the 
Nile  into  a  Persian  district,  subject  to  his 
satrap. 

Later  the  Ptolemies  took  the  country  — 
and  Ptolemy  Euergetes  brought  back  to 
Egypt  the  images  of  the  gods,  carried  off  by 
Assyria  and  Babylon  centuries  before.  With 
the  rise  of  Rome  at  the  beginning  of  our  era, 
the  Year  of  Grace,  the  hoary  Empire  of  the 
former  Pharaohs  fell  before  the  sceptre  of  the 
Caesars,  and  was  reduced  to  the  rank  of  a  dis- 
tant province,  to  be  ground  beneath  the  iron 
heel  of  a  Roman  prefect. 


OF  THE  PRINCIPAL  ANCIENT  EGYPTIAN  KINGS, 
ACCORDING  TO  THE  TABLE  CALCULATED  BY 
DR.  JAMES  HENRY  BREASTED 

Introduction  of  the  Calendar  4241  B.C. 

ANCIENT    EMPIRE 

Menes,  first  king  of  the  First  Dynasty  3400   "  " 

Third  Dynasty  2980-2900   "  " 

Zoser,  builder  of  the  Step  Pyramid 
Fourth  Dynasty  2900-2750  "  " 

Khufu  (Cheops)  builder  of  the  Great  Pyramid 

Khafre  (Chephren)    "      "    "  second 
Eleventh  Dynasty  2160-2000   "  " 

Mentuhotep  I 

Mentuhotep  II 

Mentuhotep  III 

MIDDLE    EMPIRE 

Twelfth  Dynasty  2000-1788   "  " 

Remarkable  in  that  each  monarch  during 
the  latter  part  of  his  reign  associated 
with  himself  a  son  as  coregent 

Amenemhet  I  2000-1980   "  " 

Sesostris  I  1980-1935   "  " 

Amenemhet  II  1938-1903   "  " 

Sesostris  II  1906-1887   "  " 
821 


322     FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT 

Sesostris  III  1887-1849  B.  C. 

Amenemhet  III  builder  of  the  last 

Pyramid  1849-1801    "  " 

Amenemhet  IV  1801-1792   "  " 

Thirteenth -Seventeenth  Dynasty  — The  Hyk- 
sos,  their  capital  being  Zoan,  in  the 
north  1788-1580  "  " 

NEW    EMPIRE 

Eighteenth  Dynasty  1580-1350   "  " 

Ahmose  I  1580-1557   "  " 
Amenhotep  I  ) 

Thutmose  I    f  1557-1501   "  '« 

Thutmose  III         > 

Queen  Hatshepsutf  1501-1447  ' 

Amenhotep  II  1448-1420  "  " 

Thutmose  IV  1420-1411  "  " 

Amenhotep  III  1411-1375  "  " 

Amenhotep  IV  (or  Ikhnaton)  1375-1358  "  " 

Nineteenth  Dynasty  1350-1205  "  " 

Harmhab  1350-1315  "  " 

Ramses  I  1315-1314  "  " 

Seti  I  1313-1292  "  " 
Ramses  II  —  The  Great  —  (Pharaoh  of  the 

Oppression)  1292-1225  "  " 

Merneptah  (Pharaoh  of  the  Exodus)  1225-1215  "  " 

Seti  II  1209-1205  "  " 

Twentieth  Dynasty  1200-1090  "  " 

Ramses  III  1198-1167  "  " 

Ramses  XII  1118-1090  "  " 

Twenty-first  Dynasty  1090-  945  "  " 

Twenty-second  Dynasty  945-  745  "  " 

Sheshonk  I  945-  924  "  " 

Osorkon  I  924-  895  "  " 

Twenty-fifth  Dynasty  712—  663  "  " 

Taharka  688-  633  "  " 
Conquest  of  Egypt  by  Persians  under  Cambyses 

525  "  " 


FROM  CAIRO  TO  THE  CATARACT     323 

Egypt  a  Persian  Province  525-  332  B.  C. 
Alexander  the  Great  seized  Egypt  332 

Egypt  under  Alexander  and  the  Ptolemies  332-    30 
Egypt  became  a  Roman  Province  30 


INDEX 


Aahmes,  King,  272 
Abnub,  Statuette  of,  287 
Abu  Simbel,  110,  253,  256,  258, 

313 
Abydos,  55,  107,  202,  215,  233, 

235-240,  255,  271,  279,  280, 

308,  313 

Religious  traditions  of,  236- 
238 

Tablet  of  Egyptian  Kings, 
239, 255 

Temple  of,  see  Temple 
Alexander,  165 
Alexander,  Dr.  and  Mrs.,  134, 

135 

Alexandria,  202 
Amasis,  117 
Amelineau,  M.,  240 
Amenemhet,  285 

I.,  291 

III.,  286,  287 
Amenhotep 

II.,  184,  185-187,  318 
Tomb  of,  see  Tomb 

III.,  193,  254,  256,  257,  299- 
303,  316 

IV.,  176,  245,  303-306,  314. 
Amenophis 

I.,  277 

III.,  162,  176 

Statuettes  of,  160 
Amon,  161,  176,  246,  300,  303 

305,  306,  308,  310 

High  Priest  of,  318 

House  of,  176,  177 


Priests  of,  311 

-Re,  109,  161,  163 
Anubis,  266 
Apis,  114,  115,  116,  117,  254 

Mummy,  115 

Mausoleum,  see  Serapeum 

Sarcophagus,  116 
Apollo,  127 
Apt,  Northern,  176 

Southern,  176,  178 
Assiut,   132-137,  241 

Barrage  at,  241 

Presbyterian   Mission,    134- 

135 
Assuan,  171,  201-212,  223,  225 

Bazaars  at,  207-208 

Climate  of,  211,  212 

Dam  at,  218-220 

Quarries  at,  208-209 
Athor,  149,  238 
Aton,  300,  304,  305 

Bacon,  Mrs.,  157-158 
Babez-Zuweleh,    Gateway   of, 

88 

Baliana,  233 
Barkal,  215 

Pyramids  at,  see  Pyramids 
Bedrechen  to  Sakkarah,  105- 

108 

Belzoni,  182-183 
Beni  Hassan,  129-132 

Cliffs  of,  130 
Biban  el-Muluk,  257 
Birth  House,  The,  156,  200 


325 


326 


INDEX 


Bisharfn,  205,  206-207,  211 

Camp,  209-210 
Borchardt,  Dr.,  53 
Breasted,  Dr.,  288,  304,   312, 

316 
Buchanan,  Miss,  173-176 

Caesar,  Julius,  154,  155,  165 

Caesarion,  155 

Cairo,  31-104,  202,  207,  214, 

241,  260 

Citadel,  The,  100-101 

Museum,  66,  120,  223,  246, 
265,  274 

Native  Quarter,  94-96 

Shop  of  Hatoun,  96 
Calendar,  Egyptian,  The,  154- 

155 

Cambyses,  116,  117,  165,  319 
Candace,  214,  215 
Cataract,  The,  222,  223 

God,  see  Khnum 

First,  156,  202,  214,  225,  253, 
258 

Second,  222,  224 

Third,  292 

Fourth,  299 

Chennell,  Miss  Ellen,  84,  86 
Cheops,  see  Khufu 
Church,  Coptic  of  St.  George, 

91-93 

Citadel,  The,  see  Cairo 
Cleopatra,  148,  155,  156 

Needle,  172 

Reliefs  of,  198 
Coptic,  Church  of  St.  George, 

see  Church 

Monastery,  240 

Davis,  Mr.  Theodore,  299,  300 
Denderah,  127,  238,  257 

Temple  of,  see  Temple 
Der  el-Bahiri,  238,  292,  319 
Derr,  220 
Dervishes,  Dancing,  73-74 

Howling,  72-73 

Zikrs  of  the,  71-74 


Diodorus,  170 

Domitian,  Emperor,  The,  148 

Douillet,  Pierre,  103 

Edfu,  63,  127,  206,  256,  257, 

279,  282 

Temple  of,  see  Temple 
Edwards,  Miss  Amelia  B.,  64 
Elephantine,    Island    of,    202, 

203,  211,  223 

El-Ga'ab,  Necropolis  of,  308 
Esneh,  197,  256 

Temple  of,  see  Temple 
Euergetes  I.,  161 

Ptolemy,  320 
Euergetes,  Reliefs  of,  198 

Fatma,  Princess,  Wedding  fete 
of,  84-89 

Gamia,  Ibn  Tulun,  90-91 

Mohammed  Ali,  100-101 
Gamias,  89 
Gate,  Royal,  The,  65 

Causeway,  285 
Gateway,   Granite,   The,    255, 

258 
Gizeh,  Great  Pyramid  of,  see 

Pyramid 

Museum,  63,  110 

Pyramids  of,  see  Pyramids 
Goliath,  298 

Goshen,  Ancient  land  of,  29-31 
Greene,  Mr.  Henry  Copley,  265 
Gregory  XIII.,  154 

Hall  &  King,  215,  283,  290 
Hall,  H.  P.,  286 
Hammurabi,  289,  290 
Harmakhis,  62,  64 

Re-,  64,  283 
Harmhab,  306-307 
Hathor,  138, 149, 155, 156,  218. 

238 

Chapel  of,  189 
Hatshepsut,  Queen,  188,  189, 

254,  292-293 


INDEX 


327 


Funerary    Temple    of,     see 
Temple 

Obelisks,    erected   by,    171, 

292 

Hawara,  286,  287 
Heliopolis,  54,  127,  255,  256, 

282,  285 

Anil  of,  The,  284 
Helios,  see  Horus 
Herakhte,  237,  309 
Heretic  King,  The,  see  Amen- 

hotep  IV. 
Herodotus,  54,  116,  138,  214, 

279 

Hierakonpolis,  284 
History    of    Ancient    Egypt, 

Sketch  of,  278-320 
Holy  Island,  The,  see  Philse 
Horus,  63,  64,  127,  149,  156, 

200,  237,  238,  309 
Hyksos,  The,  29 
Hyksos   Kings,  The,  289-290, 

298 


Ikhnaton,  see  Amenhotep  IV. 

Imhotep,  112 

Inhapi,  Queen,  318 

Intamelek,  167 

loua,  265,  300 

Isis,  44,  138,  149,  155,  215,  218, 

237-238,  308 

Temple    of,    at   Philse,    see 

Temple 
Ismailia,  29 

Jeroboam,  167 
Jerusalem,  29,  167,  215 
Joseph,  223,  291 

Well  of,  101 
Justinian,  216 


Kadesh,  298-311 

Kalabsche,  220 

Kantarah,  29 

Karnak,  110, 156, 157, 165, 176, 


177,  246,  256,  258,  286,  301, 

309,  313 

Table  of  Kings,  162 

Temple  of,  see  Temple 
Keb,  127,  152 
Keftin,  The,  295-297 
Khafre,  43,  55,  57,  63,  64,  253, 

284 

Statues  of,  66,  285 
Khartoum,  222,  224 
Khati,  Tomb  of,  131 
Khedive,  Weekly  visit  to 

Mosque,  68-71 

Wedding  fete  of  daughter  of, 

84-87 

Khefren,  see  Khafre 
Khent,  237,  308 
Khent-Amenti,     Osiris,     237, 

270,  308 
Khian,  287 
Khnum,  223 
Khnumhotep,  Tomb  of,   130- 

131 
Khon,  176 

Temple  of,  see  Temple 
Khufu,  43,  53,  54,  55,  56,  63, 

64,  253,  284 

King,  Hall  &,  215,  283,  290 
King  of  Aleppo,  310 
Kings,  Hierakonpolis,  of,  284 

Libyan,  The,  163 

Tombs  of  the,  Valley  of  the, 
181,  184,  257,  265,  292, 
303,  316 

Tombs  of  the,  278 
Kiosque,  The,  at   Philae,  218, 

221 

Knossos,  286,  287 
Kom  Ombo,  257;   Temple  of, 

see  Temple 
Kurna,  256,  308 

Temple  of,  see  Temple 

Labyrinth,  Cretan,  286 

Egyptian,  286 
Lane-Poole,  Mr.  Stanley,  35 
Legrain,  M.,  170,  171 


328 


INDEX 


Lepsius,  Theory  of,  52 
Libyan,  Desert,   52,    59,     62, 

178,  236 

Hills,  The,  181 

Kings,  see  Kings 

Mountains,  193 

Range,  The,  188 
Luxor,  156-158,  160,  173,  185, 

191,  230,  231,  246,  256,  258, 

286,  301 

Native,  The,  181 

Temple  of,  see  Temple 

Town  of,  157 
Lynch,  Mr.  Jeremiah,  71 

Maiharpiri,     Tomb      of,     see 

Tomb 

Manetho,  107 
Mariette,  115,  117 
Maspero,  Prof.,  220,  261 
Mastabas,  118-120,  255 

Of  Thi,  118 
Mecca,  235 
Medinet  Habu,  256 

Temples  of,  see  Temple 
Memnon,  Colossi  of,   193-194, 

256  258 

Memnoni,  The,  157,  302 
Memphis,  53,  54,  108,  109,  115, 

116,  254,  255,  284,  315 

Ruins  of,  106 

Sakkarah,  The  Necropolis  of 

Ancient,  108 
Mena,  284 

Menes,  107-108,  239,  284 
Men-nofer,  108 
Mentuhotep,  284 

II.,  254 

III.,  Temple  of,  see  Temple 
Menzaleh,  Lake,  29 
Mera,  Tomb  of,  see  Tomb 
Merneptah,  186,  315-316 

Mummy  of,  316 
Meroe,  215 
Metalla,  King  of  the  Hittites, 

310 
Minos,  King,  286,  287 


Mission   School  for  Girls,  see 

School 
Moeris,  Lake,  286 

Of  the  Greeks,  see  Amenem- 

het  III. 

Mokattam  Cliffs,  52,  59,  102 
Moore,  Francis  G.,  185 
Morgan,  M.  de,  240 
Moses,  29,  31,  63,  72,  176,  186, 

276 
Mosque,  Alabaster,  The,  100- 

101 

Of  El  Akbar,  73 

Of  El-Muaiyad,   88-89 

Of  Mohammed  Ali,  59 

Of  Sultan  Hassan,  98,  102 

University,  75-77 
Mut,  161,  176,  231 

Temple  of,  see  Temple 

Naga,  215 

Narmer,  284 

Naville,  Professor,  111 

Nefretiri,  Queen,  313 

Neith,  Temple  of,  at  Sais,  see 

Temple 

Nephthys,  217,  308 
Nile  bridge,  41,  260 
Nilometer,  71,  203 
Nomo  Leontopolites,  The,  64 
Nut,  127,  152 

Osiris,  44,  64,  65,  115,  153,  215, 
217,  235,  236,  237,  238,  266, 
270,  271,  275,  276,  308 
Khontamentit,    see     Khent 
Amenti 

Osorhapis,  116 

Osymandyas,  110 

Papyrus  Harris,  The,  317 

Pepi  I.,  108 

Petrie,  Dr.  Flinders,  55,  240, 
280,  287 

Pharaoh's  Bed,  see  Kiosque 

Phihe,  108,  156,  201,  214,  215- 
219,  221,  223,  238,  257,  258 
Temple  of  Isis  at,  see  Temple 


INDEX 


329 


Pithom,  31,  312 
Port  Said,  19-21,  29 
Presbyterian    Mission   at   As- 

siut,  see  Assiut 
Ptah,  115,  237,  304,  309 
Punt,  Land  of,  281,  293 
Pyramid,  Amenemhet  III.,  286 

Great,  The,  46,  48,  50,  53- 
57,  113,  280 

Second,  The,  57,  285 

Step,  The,  112,  223,  253,  284 
Pyramids,  255,  258,  260,  284 

Barkal,  at,  215 

Dahshur,  of,  111 

Gizeh,  of,  41-66,  254 

Pharaohs,  of  the,  108 

Road  to  the,  42-44 

Quibell,  A.  A.,  261 
J.  E.,  261 

Ramadan,  Fast  of,  67,  83 
Ramesseum,    The,    157,    194, 

254,  256,  286,  313 
Ramses,  I.,  163,  318 

II.,  110,  111,  115,  163,  177, 
194,256,309-315,317,318 
Colossi  of,  109 
Colossus  of,  29,  167 
Mummy  of,  110 
III.,  316-318 

Sepulchres  of,  183 
Temple  of,  see  Temple 
IV.,  317 

The  Great,  see  Ramses  II. 
Re,  127,  128,  163,  236,  300 

Turn-,  283 
Rehoboam,  167 
Reisner,  Dr.  George  A.,  220 
Religion  of  the  Ancient  Egyp- 
tians, 261-277 
Rhoda,  Island  of,  71-72 
Rouge,  M.  J.  de,  63 
Rumeleh,  Place,  98 

Sahara  Desert,  The,  133 
Sais,  Temple  of  Neith  at,  see 
Temple 


Sakkarah,  223,  253,  256,  257, 
307,  319 

Bedrechen  to,  105-108 
Necropolis  of,  111 
Necropolis  of  Ancient  Mem- 
phis, The,  108 
Tomb  of  Mera  at,  267 

Sakkiyeh,  The,  139-140 

Sannotum,  265 

School,   Presbyterian  Mission, 
77-78 
Mission  for  Girls,  173-176 

Sehel,  Island  of,  223 

Septimius  Severus,  194 

Serapeum,  The,  113-118,  254 

Serapis,  116 

Sesostris,  I.,  285 
III.,  285 
See  Ramses  II. 

Set,  64 

Seti,  I.,  163, 176,  237,  239,  256, 
307,  309,  310,  318 
Sepulchre  of,  183,  309 
Temple  of,  see  Temple 

Shaduf,  The,  139 

Shellal,  213 

Shelley,  109 

Shepherd  Kings,  The,  see  Hyk- 
sos 

Sheshonq,  167 

Shishak,  167 

Silsileh,  Gorge  of,  200,  308 

Sobk,  200 

Soldier's  Tomb,  The,  see  Tomb 

Solomon,  167 

Speos  Artemis,  The,  130 

Sphinx,  The,  62-65,  258 
Temple  of  the,  57,  286 

Step  Pyramid,  The,  see  Pyra- 
mid 

Suez  Canal,  Account  of  Open- 
ing of,  22-28 

Strabo, 203-216,  286 

Syene,  see  Assuan 

Taharqa,  163 
Tanis,  29,  289,  313 


330 


INDEX 


Tell  el-Amarna,  202,  245-247, 

299,  305 
Temple     "  Beautiful     Little " 

The,  176 

Funerary  of  Queen  Hatshep- 
sut,  188,  254 

Granite,  The,  65 

Pyramid,  131 
Temple   of  Abydos,    238-239, 

309 

Amenemhet  III.,  286 

Denderah,  146,  147,  148-156 

Der  el-Bahiri,  319 

Edfu,  198 

Esneh,  197 

Isis,  at  Philse,  216-218,  221 

Karnak,  159,  160-172,  231 

Khon,  161 

Kom  Ombo,  200 

Kurna,  166,  181 

Luxor,    157,    160,    176-178, 
196 

Medinet  Habu,  194,  318 

Mentuhotep  III.,  189-190 

Mut,  160 

Neith,  at  Sais,  117 

Ptah,  109 

Ramses  III.,  167 

Seti  I.,  236 

Sphinx,  57,  286 
Thebes,  109,  157, 162, 164,  165, 

172,  176,  185,  246,  255,  278, 

284,  302,  305,  309,  313 

Western,  179 
Thi,  118,  119,  257 

Mastaba  of,  see  Mastaba 
Thinis,  107 
Thiy,    Queen,    265,    299-300, 

302-303,  318 
Thutmose, 

I.,  162,  171,  176,  291-292 

III.,  162,  256,  293-298 


IV.,  62,  63 

Obelisk,  168 
Tioua,  265 
Tomb  of  Amenhotep  II. ,  184 

Harmhab,  307 

Ikhnaton,  307 

Khati,  131 

Knumhotep,  130 

Maiharpiri,  275 

Mera,  276 

Zoser,  223 
Tomb,  Soldier's,  The,  133 

Tomb-Mosque  of  Sultan  Bar- 

kuk,  97 
Tombs  of  the  Kalifahs,  97,  101 

Of  the  Mamelukes,  97 

Of  the  Kings,  Valley  of  the, 

see  Kings 
Trajan,  Emperor,  The,  148,  203 

Uapuatitu,  270 
Usertesen,  Obelisk  of,  256 

Valley  of  the  Tombs  of  the 
Kings,  see  Kings 

Wedding,  Egyptian,  79-84 
Fete    of    daughter    of    the 
Khedive,  84-87 

Wep-wat,  133 

Westminster  Abbey  of  Egypt, 
The,  182 

Windmill  Hills,  101 

Yawah,  64 

Zigazaz,  29 

Zikrs,    of   the   Dervishes,    see 

Dervishes 
Zoan,  29,  289 
Zoser,  223,  253,  284 

Mausoleum  of,  112 


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